Lapo Elkann is the grandson of former FIAT chairman and owner of Juventus FC Gianni Agnelli.
Agnelli, though now deceased, remains, to this day, one of Italy’s most famous, most successful, and most loved men. He is also still renowned as a man of impeccable style.
It comes as no surprise then that his grandson, Lapo, has forged a similar career for himself in cars and fashion. A family that has been forged in football, cars and fashion? What’s not to love?
Having started out working in marketing for supercar brands like Ferrari and Maserati, Lapo returned to the family’s FIAT business as head of marketing where he oversaw an upsurge in the ailing car manufacturer’s fortunes by re-inventing the classic FIAT Punto and FIAT 500.
From there, he eventually set up his own clothing and accessories lifestyle brand, Italia Independent, and a creative advertising agency called Independent Ideas. One of his major campaigns was a collaboration with Gucci on a special edition FIAT 500 which was customised with a full Gucci interior.
Eyewear is the main focus of his Italia Independent label. The man himself is never seen without his trademark shades or specs. Outside of fashion and cars, football runs in the Elkann/Agnelli family blood – they do own Juventus FC for God’s sake. Lapo and Italia Independent have even created a whole range of Juventus eyewear to celebrate the club and their Scudetto wins.
An example of the sunglasses created to celebrate Juventus FC. Image via Italia Independent
They also continue to collaborate with adidas Originals on a capsule collection of trainers called the ZX Flux. Never afraid to experiment or take risks, Elkann has incorporated Juventus’ black and white colours by introducing a zebra-print shoe to the collection with the famous adidas three stripes coloured in Italy’s green, white and red of course. Italian nationalism at its most patriotic.
Lapo Elkann, however, is also a controversial figure in some quarters. His personal life has been bumpy, his personal style is eye-catching, and he’s a man who is not afraid of taking risks in both business and fashion. He has long featured on Best Dressed Lists and is definitely on the guest lists for every magazine editor, designer event and launch due to his influence and famous family’s legacy.
As an heir to that family legacy, and as the current Head of FIAT brand promotion, Elkann is said to be worth 69 million dollars and stands in line for a healthy slice of the family’s estimated billion dollar fortune in time.
Along with that, his Kazakh girlfriend Goga Ashkenazi, is an oil and gas billionairess. No wonder they call him Lapo of Luxury…
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