As one of the world's luxury giants, LVMH's plans to "enter" the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have long been no secret. On August 8, 2021, when Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo received the Olympic flag at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in Japan, LVMH began preparing and discussing plans to sponsor the Paris Games.
Image source: Sports Daily
At the end of July 23, Antoine Arnault, the eldest son of Bernard Arnault, who was still the richest man in the world at the time and president of LVMH, officially signed a contract for the "Paris 2024 Olympic Games Sponsorship Cooperation" with Tony Estein, President of the Paris Olympic Games Organizing Committee, and Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris. According to relevant reports, LVMH paid 150 million euros (about 1.2 billion yuan) for the privilege of obtaining a senior partner.
Image credit: LVMH
As a luxury giant, LVMH plans to put high-end fashion at the heart of the Paris Olympics and create the most fashionable games.
Chaumet, a Parisian luxury jewellery brand owned by LVMH, has been in the spotlight since its medal was unveiled, the high-end leather goods brand Berluti has dressed French athletes at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, thousands of Olympic VIPs and corporate guests will be able to enjoy high-end drinks such as LVMH's Moët & Chandon champagne and Hennessy cognac in their reception suites, and Dior and Louis Vuitton, the Group's famous handbag brands, have also closely integrated luxury with the Olympics by inviting French athletes as ambassadors, to which seven athletes have been invitedAmong them is Leon Marchand, the world record holder in the men's 400m medley, who was once hailed as the "successor to Phelps".
Leon Marchand
Image credit: LVMH
Chaumet Paris Design Medal
Raw iron integrated into the Eiffel Tower
Founded in 1780, Chaumet is the only French jewelry brand owned by LVMH and the first to be located on Place Vendôme in Paris. Chaumet not only carries a long history, but is also the royal brand of France's former royal family. Napoleon's coronation sword, known as the "National Treasure of France", was designed and made by Chaumet Paris.
In February this year, the Paris Organising Committee unveiled for the first time the Olympic and Paralympic medals designed by Chaumet, and the most special feature of the medals is that they incorporate pieces of iron that have been preserved during the restoration of the Eiffel Tower. Chaumet pays homage to Paris, the "City of Light", in this unique way.
Above: Paris 2024 (three on the left) and Paralympic (three on the right) medalsImage source: Hua Lizhi
In this setting, Chaumet uses the traditional design techniques of High Jewelry. The medal is set in the center in a hexagonal shape that echoes the shape of the French land, and the six corners are fastened with "Stud de Paris", a design that pays homage to the "Clou de Paris" in High Jewellery and the iconic studs of the Eiffel Tower, with the Olympic and Paralympic emblems engraved on the original iron.
Image source: Sogou WeChat
LV's exclusive hard case stores torches and medals
Win the award and get bespoke luxury goods at the same time
The medals and torches will be stored in the Trunk suitcase, which is custom-made by LV. This is LV's first design for the Olympic Games, and the two trunks cover two of the brand's most famous icons.
The medals and torches will be stored in a custom-made suitcase for LV
The special edition trunk for the medals is covered with LV's classic Monogram pattern, while the Olympic torch is covered with a checkerboard pattern, presenting it in the most traditional and elegant look.
Image credit: LVMH
The medal case has multiple drawers for 468 medals at a time, with 3 display stands in the middle. In addition, there are round "sockets" on the base and lid of the torch hard case to hold the torch.
Image credit: LVMH
Berluti unveils the opening ceremony costume dress
Pour your heart and soul into making the brand better aware of the Olympics
On the 100-day countdown to the Paris Olympic Games, French sports personalities gathered at the temporary Grand Palais for a grand celebration to celebrate the opening ceremony of the French Olympic and Paralympic delegations, designed by the famous French fashion house Berlutti.
Image source: Weibo
The outfit is dominated by suits and tuxedos, and the women's model is a sleeveless blazer. The dress is decorated in navy blue, with a gradient red and blue pattern on the lapels of the jacket and the Olympic flame and Olympic logo on the left pocket.
The undershirt is in white cotton and silk, and the women's version is available in a silk wrap skirt or woven pants. The men's and women's shoes of the French delegation were handmade, with the women's moccasins made in lambskin with a gradient of the flag and hand-stitched red stitching, which required 9 manual steps to complete.
Image source: Weibo
The gown jacket is crafted from elegant midnight blue wool with shawl collars and an ombre pattern inspired by the French flag, paired with a white shirt cut from a cotton and silk blend.
Image source: Weibo
The brand put a lot of effort into this design. A total of 8,000 meters of fabric were used in the apparel section, with a total stitching length of more than 100 kilometers, equivalent to the distance of two marathons, and 380,000 stitches were required for each pair of Shadow sneakers. Berluti is known for its craftsmanship in dress shoes, and the importance of such a reworked design is also a testament to the brand's commitment to the Olympic Games.
Hermès silk scarf designer hand-drawn poster
Dreamy colors depict the city
Poster design is also the highlight of every Olympic Games, and on 4 March, the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games themed poster was unveiled at the Musée d'Orsay. The designer of the poster, Ugo Gatoni, is a French illustrator and one of the artists of Hermès' long-term collaboration. The extremely rich details and unbridled imagination in the picture make people look forward to the upcoming sports event.
Image source: New Modern Pictorial
It is reported that this poster was completed by hand after spending four months and accumulating 2,000 hours. Just by looking at this image from a distance, you can see that there is so much detail hidden in it, and he was inspired by the magnificent city stadium.
The mascots and medals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are hidden in the poster
Paris's landmarks have been skillfully rearranged and combined, with the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the Arc de Triomphe, ...... These familiar landmarks are brought to life in his posters, with a plethora of stories unfolding in them, as if the entire city of Paris had been transformed into a stadium. The poster also contains a number of easter eggs, including the mascot of the Paris Olympics and a number of different sports and key figures.
Athletes turn fashion icons to lead the way
Gen Z: More sporty, younger, more trendy
In the run-up to each Olympic Games, brands that have entered the competition through sponsorship are in the spotlight. After all, for such a large-scale event, which even penetrates nearly half of the world's population, there is no second answer except the Olympic Games. The super influence of the Olympic events has constituted an absolute attraction to the brand.
Throughout 2024, the Paris Olympics will attract global attention, and exposure on such a top-level stage will be of great significance to brands, with brands such as LVMH squeezing into the Olympic sponsorship list even if they spend a lot of money.
Before the start of the 2022 World Cup, Louis Vuitton posted a campaign on social media featuring stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing a chess match on the brand's classic printed checked bags, which quickly became a hot topic on the internet. The official Louis Vuitton platform received the most likes of all time with this campaign.
Image credit: LVMH
Signing young sports traffic stars has become one of the important marketing tools of major luxury brands. When American freestyle skier Julia Marino stepped on a Prada snowboard at the Beijing Winter Olympics, tennis player Sinner took to Wimbledon with a custom Gucci bag...... Luxury brands are finding that young athletes are no less appealing to their fashion stars than they are spending.
Image source: Weibo
Brands want to capture Gen Z consumers, and sports and sports are a perfect entry point. In this day and age, brands can find new ideas and inspiration in all kinds of sports to create products that are more in line with the tastes and needs of young people.
Fendi also launched a basketball-limited collection this year, covering basketball shoes, T-shirts and shorts, priced between $120 and $1,790, which attracted a lot of attention. The brand has also teamed up with sports brand Spalding to launch a black basketball.
Image courtesy of Fendi
The cooperation between luxury brands and sports projects has shifted from golf, equestrian and other sports with highly overlapping customer groups to mass sports represented by basketball, football and tennis.
At the beginning of this year, Dior officially became the official partner of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club and unveiled a new jersey for the season led by Menswear Creative Director Kim Jones. In addition to ready-to-wear such as coats, knitted sweaters and polo shirts, Dior also tailors formal wear for each player to meet the needs of the players for formal occasions.
Image source: Weibo
Luxury brands seem to collectively realize the huge potential and influence of the mass sports market, and are beginning to seek more innovations and breakthroughs. Perhaps we will see more and more luxury brands crossing the sports field and turning the sports arena into a long-term fashion show.
Sources: Huali Zhi, New Modern Pictorial, Fashion Beijing, Bund Design Hotel, Putike Boutique Hotel, Dianlu
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