Rise of the fashion heiresses: 3 It girls paving their own way, from Chanel muse Charlotte Cas

Publish date: 2024-09-07

They’re insanely rich, members of the world’s wealthiest families, and fashion “It” girls repping women in a male-dominated industry.

Sure, Mathilde Pinault, Marta Ortega Perez and Charlotte Casiraghi all have powerful connections, but they have carved out their own paths, building on a legacy to make an impact. They also all happen to love horse riding.

Here’s what you need to know about three of the most influential and glamorous fashion heiresses out there.

1. Mathilde Pinault

Her father is François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, the holding company that owns luxury brands including Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. François-Henri’s net worth is estimated to be around US$40.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making Mathilde one of the world’s richest fashion heiresses. Mathilde’s mum is Dorothée Lepère, a well-known French interior designer.

Vanity Fair reports that her parents split when she was three years old. When she was six, a young Mathilde took up horse riding. She told the publication that she’s never afraid when she’s on the horse and began her showjumping career at age 13.

Her father married Salma Hayek in 2009 and the step-mum and daughter duo have publicly spoken about their close relationship.

Mathilde told Vanity Fair that Hayek has “allowed me to understand how important it is to reduce doubts and fears by bringing them back to the reality of things”.

Mathilde has also become a fashion influencer in her own right, garnering a near 70,000-strong following on Instagram alone at the time of writing. And when your dad is the fashion boss of the world’s most coveted luxury brands, not only do you get to sit front row at fashion shows, you also get to wear the latest designs and couture at the drop of a hat.

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“Fashion draws me to its range of action on culture and society. I am interested, for example, in what is happening to a brand like Balenciaga, in its catalytic power,” she told Italian Vanity Fair in 2021, before the brand’s recent scandal.

2. Marta Ortega Perez

She is the youngest child of reclusive billionaire Amancio Ortega, the founder and former chairman of Inditex fashion group, best known for owning brands Zara and Bershka. According to Bloomberg, Inditex has more than 7,400 stories operating globally, helping Ortega to a whopping net worth of US$64 billion.

Ortega Perez studied for her bachelor’s degree in international business at Regent’s University of London and later worked as a sales assistant at a Zara store in London. According to RFI, she did not tell her colleagues who she was because she wanted to be treated like everyone else.

For the next 15 years, she worked in various positions at Inditex to fully understand all aspects of the business. In 2022, she took over as chairwoman of the group, making her one of the most powerful people in fashion.

Ortega Perez has been described by the media as a keen horsewoman who has been involved in competitive showjumping for years, regularly pictured either on the sidelines or taking part in exclusive equestrian events such as Madrid Horse Week. Even her father occasionally turns up to support her.

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3. Charlotte Casiraghi

Eleventh in line to the throne of Monaco, Charlotte Casiraghi is Grace Kelly’s granddaughter and a regular fixture on the fashion scene. Also an accomplished equestrian, Casiraghi has become a fashion icon in her own right and was a muse to Karl Lagerfeld. She became a Chanel ambassador in 2021.

The 36-year-old has created her own chic style and is known to wear iconic pieces handed down by her mother, Princess Caroline, and grandmother Kelly.

At 12-years-old, she stood on the family balcony when her aunt, Princess Stephanie, rode in with her birthday present – a horse. She later told Harper’s Bazaar that horses have played an important role in her life since childhood, explaining that “they gave me the energy to move forward, the ability to fight, giving me a rare confidence and invaluable strength”.

She described showjumping competitions as the “school of life” and told the publication she loved the sport for its equality. “It’s one of the few Olympic sports where men and women are equal. Being a great horseman does not rely on physical strength but more on the mind and sensibility.”

Although she is heiress to a million-dollar fortune through her mother Princess Caroline, Casiraghi has amassed her own fortune through her modelling work and various other business ventures, estimated to be around US$30 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.