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If you follow aspirational culture online, you’re surely familiar with Gianluca Vacchi. Born in 1967, this Italian sensation is famous for living a life of extravagance. As an entrepreneur and investor, he achieved massive success with multiple businesses. As an influencer and DJ, he enjoys broad popularity beyond age barriers and geographical boundaries. Gianluca Vacchi’s affluent way of life has taken on a life of its own, with the “GV Lifestyle” inspiring people from all corners of the world.
Gianluca Vacchi has a dynamic personality, a fit and healthy body, and an enviable lifestyle. In this article, we’ll review his early life, showcase his business career, and analyze his massive social influence. From industrialist playboy to the coolest man on Instagram, let’s follow Vacchi’s transformative journey from success to stardom.
The Gianluca Vacchi Story
Gianluca Vacchi is 57 years young, and he’s been living life to the full since day one. His childhood and early business career made him the man he is today — long before he was a social media sensation.
Early life
Gianluca Vacchi was born on August 5, 1967. He started life in Bologna, Italy, and spent his formative years between Castenaso, Riccione, and Cortina. While Vacchi made his lifestyle with grit and determination, he was also born into an affluent family. At the age of four, he started skiing in the Italian Alps. The young Gianluca was a natural-born talent, and he became one of Italy’s most promising young skiers by the age of seven.
Vacchi brought home multiple titles during his childhood years, winning the giant slalom in the Italian Championship, taking out first place in the Youth Games, and achieving seventh place in the World Student Championship. Despite this early success, he didn’t want to make skiing his entire life. At the relatively young age of 17, Vacchi concluded his skiing career and returned to Bologna to pursue higher education. He graduated with a degree in Economics and Business from the Studiorum University and was ready to take on the world.
Entrepreneurial career
After graduating in Bologna, Vacchi joined his successful family business. Both then and now, IMA Group was a world leader in the design and manufacture of automated processing and packaging machines. The equipment they produced was highly versatile, with different machines designed for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, tea, and more. Vacchi was involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, and he also held a significant financial stake. In January 2024, Vacchi divested his 13.2% share in IMA, taking home over €700 million as a result.
While working at IMA Group, Vacchi was both the majority shareholder and non-executive director. He also invested in a number of other companies in sectors like computing, automobiles, fashion, and food. By 29, Vacchi was a major stakeholder in Eurotech. A few years later, he became the sole director of First Investments. He continued to diversify his interests with age, getting involved with the motorhome company SEA and the T-shirt powerhouse Resilienza.
Today, Gianluca Vacchi is involved with a wide array of businesses across all sectors of the economy. In 2006, he purchased the renowned watch brand ToyWatch. In 2007, he invested in the tourism-focused Last Minute Tour company. Recently, in 2021, Vacchi established the Kebhouze brand, a fast-food chain taking over Italy with delicious kebabs. Kebhouze has expanded across the country, from Milan and Rome to Venice, Turin, Genoa, Bergamo, and Biella. You can even buy a Kebhouze kebab in the dance music capital of Ibiza, reflecting his second life as an international DJ and luxury lifestyle influencer.
Challenges and opportunities
Gianluca Vacchi had a lucky start to life, inheriting the foundations of his family business. Things were certainly not easy, however, with the young businessman going his own way and racking up lots of debt along the way. He bought out his relatives and took control of the boardroom in a streak of determined individualism that would highlight his later life. It certainly wasn’t a smooth ride to the top, with Vacchi suffering numerous financial challenges and career setbacks.
The Parmalat scandal was a massive stress on his life, with the Italian government confiscating his fortune at one time. This massive accounting fraud was uncovered in 2003, involving the Italian dairy conglomerate. While Vacchi wasn’t directly involved with the scandal, he was associated due to his family’s business connections. Gianluca Vacchi learned to harness his inner strength during this difficult period, waiting 18 years until he was vindicated by the courts.
Vacchi started life with a substantial inheritance, but he grew this fortune with blood, sweat, and tears. Today, he’s one of the most respected and well-known financiers and industrialists in Italy. IMA has grown by leaps and bounds since Gianluca Vacchi became involved, and it’s now considered one of the best family-run businesses in the world. During the first four years of his tenure, IMA grew from ₤70 billion to over ₤400 billion in value. When analyzed over two decades, the company’s sales grew from $100 million to over $2.5 billion.
According to Vacchi himself, “Common people think that with money everything comes naturally. That is just a myth we need to go past, though. My current assets are 100 bigger than what my father had. I was a businessman and I became one of the most well known people in the world, which I also did not inherit from anyone. Probably, at 60 I won’t have the life I have now. Because I am open to reinventing myself again. Do you know why I won? Because I showed what kind of person I really am. I have legitimized the freedom to do whatever you want, whatever you wish to do. The freedom to do whatever the F–k you want.”
Social Media Sensation and DJ Extraordinaire
Instead of relaxing into business success, Gianluca Vacchi was reborn as a social media influencer and star DJ. He opened his first Instagram account at the age of 46, earning 15 million followers and inspiring people with his look and lifestyle. Online success opened up many doors for Vacchi, including a gateway into the music industry. In 2016, Vacchi wrote the book Enjoy, and in 2022, he became the subject of the Amazon Prime series Gianluca Vacchi: Mucho Más.
Lifestyle influencer
Instagram gave Vacchi an opportunity to showcase his extravagant lifestyle to the world. This was a massive transition for the aging businessman, and he was obviously loving every minute of it. He started sharing his life journey on Instagram in 2014, with luxury goods and travel experiences blending with adventure and fitness content. Vacchi’s popularity surged in late 2016, when he started sharing videos of his dance performances in luxurious locations. Today, he has more than 22 million followers on Instagram and around 22 million on TikTok.
TikTok star
He may have started posting on Instagram, but Gianluca Vacchi’s fame went up another gear on TikTok. He was already a rich and successful celebrity, and he also looked very good for his age. With luxurious displays of wealth and highly energetic dance moves, this 57-year-old man established lots of youthful followers. In one popular video, he danced along to the rhymes and rhythms of rapper Don Xhoni. His song “Make a Pose” was fast becoming a viral sensation, and Vacchi joined in alongside his luxury Rolls-Royce. That’s just one example of his content, with Vacchi regularly flexing his wealth and physique to music from Gen Z artists.
DJ and music collaborator
Gianluca Vacchi is always moving forward, making connections and exploring new things around the world. His next career move was a surprise for many, however, with the maturing businessman and social media star turning his attention to the dance floor. Vacchi was no stranger to extravagant parties, and like always, he wanted to be front and center of the action. He first stood behind the decks at age 43, when most DJs are choosing to retire. Vacchi now performs at high-end nightclubs, private parties, and special events. He’s even released several music videos.
In 2017, Vacchi released the single “Love.” Around the same time, he also featured in a music video by J Balvin and Willy William for their hit song “Mi Gente.” Vacchi then released “Trump-It” and “Viento,” which helped him get signed to Universal Latin-America. As a highly social gentleman, Vacchi enjoys collaborating with other dance music artists. In his relatively short career, he’s worked with big names like Steve Aoki, Nicola Zucchi, Christian Lena, and Albertino. “Sigamos Bailando” was released in collaboration with Luis Fonsi and Yandel, and “Sombrerito Blanco” featured Colombian singer Martina Camargo.
His Lovely Wife, Sharon Fonseca
Gianluca Vacchi’s lovely wife is Sharon Fonseca — a successful model, actress, and social media star in her own right. Fonseca is also a rising entrepreneur, having worked solo and with Vacchi on numerous business projects. Sharon Fonesca was born and raised in Venezuela, where she worked as a model for global brands like Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Givenchy. Fonesca also became an entrepreneur at a young age, starting various businesses and developing numerous beauty products. Today, she is a passionate social media influencer and content creator, with millions of fans around the world. Her TikTok account has around 5.4 million followers, and her Instagram account has over 6 million followers.
Stefan Dabruck Management
Gianluca Vacchi is a massive global sensation, and his star is getting brighter all the time. With each social media post and music collaboration, more people become aware of his brand. As you can probably imagine, this would be both incredibly exciting and extremely exhausting. While Vacchi started out managing his own social media accounts and DJ bookings, this quickly became impossible. For a man running multiple businesses and traveling across the world on a consistent basis, something had to give.
Vacchi needed a manager fast, and he decided to enlist the best name in the business. Much like Gianluca Vacchi himself, Stefan Dabruck wears many hats. He’s a successful DJ, a talented music producer, and a renowned artist manager working with huge names in the EDM community. He’s responsible for discovering artists like Robin Schulz, and he also manages Axwell, Steve Angello, and other global superstars. After setting up the label We Play and selling over 200 gold and platinum records, Dabruck decided to start his own artist management company.
Stefan Dabruck Management is an international music management company representing the EDM industry. Stefan and his team have a proven track record of delivering top-notch services, including artist management, event production, marketing, branding, and promotion. With more than two decades in the industry, Stefan Dabruck has learned to utilize industry connections and embrace digital innovations. Dabruck and his team have an authentic love for the dance music scene, and they were very excited to get Gianluca Vacchi on board.
If you want to learn more about Gianluca Vacchi, Instagram and TikTok are a great place to start. He regularly posts pics and videos of his opulent lifestyle, along with links to upcoming DJ sets and music collaborations. If you like luxurious products and beautiful locations presented with swagger and style, the undeniable confidence of Gianluca Vacchi is sure to inspire you.