An 80-year-old billionaire and scion of one of the most iconic luxury fashion houses has decided to designate his gardener as his rightful heir. No, this isn’t the plot of Netflix’s next gripping original drama, but the real life story of Nicolas Puech, a fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, who founded the luxury fashion house in 1837, and his former gardener.
Puech, who is unmarried and without children, has plans to officially adopt his 51-year-old “gardener and handyman” from a “modest Moroccan family” as his son and rightful heir. According to Swiss publication The Tribune de Genève, which first broke the story, Puech owns 5.7% of Hermès’ capital, making him its largest individual shareholder. Forbes estimates Puech’s net worth at $11.7 billion, half of which will be passed on to his former gardener. He also stands to acquire substantial properties in Marrakesh, Morocco and Montreux, Switzerland valued at nearly $6 million.
The Tribune de Genève reported that the unnamed domestic help, who is married with two children, has worked for Puech for decades. Puech, who is estranged from most of his family, previously gave the couple more than $1.6 million in 2015 to buy a villa in Marrakech, per the publication.
The 161st richest man in the world (according to Forbes) has already begun the legal process of formally adopting the unnamed former gardener, and is attempting to cancel an inheritance contract with the Isocrates Foundation, a charity which he established in 2011 and previously committed his fortune to.
The charity announced on Tuesday it has formally “opposed” its founder’s decision to cancel the inheritance contract, stating “From a legal standpoint, the abrupt and unilateral annulment of a succession agreement appears void and unfounded. The foundation has opposed this move, while leaving the door open to discussion with its founder and president.”
The news isn’t the most outrageous fashion inheritance scandal in the last couple of years. The late German designer Karl Lagerfeld’s beloved pet cat, Choupette, was left $1.5 million after the couturier died in 2019.
