The Inherited Wealth of the Hermès Tycoon Vanishes Without a Trace

The $13 billion estate of Nicolas Puech, the heir of the renowned fashion brand Hermès, has mysteriously disappeared just months after he announced plans to donate a significant portion of his wealth to his gardener.

Nicolas Puech, 81, is the largest individual shareholder of Hermès. He was shocked to discover that he no longer owned approximately 6 million shares of Hermès, which constituted the majority of his wealth. Following this revelation, Nicolas Puech filed a lawsuit against his asset manager, Eric Freymond, regarding the matter. However, the court ruled that Eric Freymond is not responsible for the loss of Nicolas Puech’s assets. The court stated that Puech’s “blind trust” in Freymond was the primary cause of the issue, but there was no evidence to prove that the asset manager had deceived him.

The lost assets of Nicolas Puech may be partly the result of attempts by Bernard Arnault, the owner of Louis Vuitton, to take over Hermès with Puech’s assistance in the early 2010s. Nicolas Puech is the fifth descendant of Thierry Hermès, the founder of Hermès. Although he resigned as the company’s director in 2014, he is believed to still own over 5% of Hermès shares.

Nicolas Puech has never married and currently resides in Switzerland. This year, he hired a legal consulting team to formalize the adoption process and inheritance of his assets to his “diligent gardener.” Currently, information about the relationship between Nicolas Puech and the heir remains limited.

Nicolas Puech (born December 12, 1942) is the heir of the luxury brand Hermès and the great-grandson of its founder, Thierry Hermès. He served as a director of Hermès until 2014 and has been influential in the company’s growth. Known for his private lifestyle, Puech has never married and has no children, raising questions about his legacy. Recently, he announced plans to leave a significant portion of his $13 billion estate to his gardener, reflecting his philanthropic approach. He resides in Switzerland and is recognized for his contributions to the luxury fashion industry.