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Movers & Shakers

We See You: Gustav Magnar Witzøe

The billionaire/model/philanthropist/salmon heir who stole the show at this year’s Met Gala.

The people—young, old, and everyone in between—who most intrigue us.

Why we’re watching him: One the world’s youngest billionaires with a net worth of $3.5 billion, according to Forbes, Witzøe, 31, is a model, tech investor, and philanthropist who somehow managed to steal the show at this year’s Met Gala. (His friends call him Gus, which we will too, since he’s our friend now.)

Pedigree: Gus grew up in Frøya, a tiny island off the north-west coast of Norway, where his father started SalMar, a salmon-fishing company, in 1991. According to The Telegraph, the business grew from 11 employees to become the second largest producer of Atlantic salmon in the world. “I’m grateful I grew up in the way I did,” Gus said. “Maybe it would have been different if I’d grown up with money, but since we didn’t when I was a kid, it was just a normal, down-to-earth family.’” That was about to change.

Happy birthday, baby: When Gus, an only child, turned 18, Dad made him SalMar’s main shareholder. Sure, it might have been for tax reasons, but that’s one helluva BD present. (We’re talking billions.) Gus isn’t involved in this fishy business now, but he did spend two years working on the salmon farms.

Gustav Magnar çat the 2024 Met Gala in a Versace
When the somewhat unknown Gustav Magnar Witzøe stepped out at the Met Gala this year in his crystal-encrusted, toga-inspired Versace outfit, the social media world lit up. Photo by Madison Voelkel/BFA.com

Now that’s an entrance: Gus’s modeling career was already taking off, but it was his recent Met Gala appearance that set social media on fire. According to the Daily Beast, the Versace atelier spent four months fastening 53,000 crystals to a tulle bodysuit with a chiffon tunic and a silk cape to create an otherworldly fairy (the Shakespearean kind) effect. And yes, the color of the get-up was salmon.

A momma’s boy at heart: The much-tattooed Gus explained that one of the reasons it took so long to get dressed was that the stylists wanted to cover up his ink. “I haven’t seen myself without tattoos since I was 16 years old,” he told the Daily Beast. “I had to take a photo of it to send to my mom because she’s never been that much of a fan of my tattoos.”

He’s shy. Really? Gus is just beginning to get attention in the US, but he’s a star in his native Norway, where occasionally people will ask him for a photograph – “mostly when they’re drunk,” Gus said, according to The Telegraph.  “In Norway people are very shy until they’ve had a drink. I’m shy too.”  (The Met outfit might suggest otherwise, but who are we to judge?)

Catch him in the wild: When he’s not posing or partying on various continents, look for Gus at the gym, where he reportedly works out nine times a week.

Party spirit animal: Sure, you could say salmon, but they are known as symbols of seriousness. We’re going with the cardinal, for a cheerful, brilliant and bold vibe.

Prediction: With his looks, billions, sense of humor and good nature, the world (or at least the sea) is Gus’s oyster.

Hero photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

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