Fortune - USA (2020-04)

to expand the hotel busi-

ness in the next two years

are ambitious: an estate

in Normandy; a 10-room

inn in Siena, Italy; and an

island getaway in Greece.

Still, these hotel projects

haven’t kept Biousse out of

retail altogether. In 2016,

LVMH chairman Bernard

Arnault approached him

to run an affordable luxury

firm within the group’s

portfolio. He declined, but

he saw the need to give

support to rising stars on

his own terms—the kind

of support a big group

wouldn’t be able to offer.

With Experienced Capital,

his four-year-old accelera-

tor, he and his team help

scale emerging French

brands with solid convic-

tions. This includes Bali-

baris, a fast-growing mens-

wear label; NV Gallery

(which Biousse calls the

“Sandro of home design”);

Jimmy Fairly sunglasses;

and skin-care line Oh My

Cream, among others.

“The raison d’être in

everything I do now is

pleasure,” says Biousse.

“And if I can use my suc-

cess to build brands and

experiences with meaning,

then I’ve done something

right.”

and Foucher have applied

that vision to Les Bords de

Mer, a 19-room boutique

hotel in an iconic Art Deco

villa perched directly on

the beach in Marseille,

France; to a refurbished

surf lodge called Les Hor-

tensias du Lac in Hossegor;

and to Torre Vella and

Santa Ponsa on Minorca,

two historic fincas con-

verted into agritourism

escapes with a combined

740 acres of working

farmland on which the

men produce olive oil,

aromatics, and organic

vegetables to supply their

locavore restaurants. Plans

LES BORDS

DE MER

An Art Deco

villa turned boutique

property perched

on the Marseille

waterfront. Each of

its 19 rooms has a

stunning view of the

Mediterranean.

PASSIONS — TR AVEL

FROM

LEFT: COURTESY OF YANN DERET; COURTESY OF W

EARECONTENT

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