Forbes estimates the 74-year-old to be worth $211 billion, versus the tech investor's $180 billion.

Arnault had trailed Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the third-richest man for the past three years but was able to add $53 billion to his fortune over the past 12 months, on the back of a 35% rise in LVMH’s stock.

The luxury giant owns more than 70 brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Tiffany, Sephora, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs. It made $86 billion last year, overtaking Musk's Tesla, with a revenue of nearly $81.5 billion.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)