The Fashion Olympics are coming! No, not the SS24 womenswear season, which is looming ever closer with its early September kick-off, but the actual Olympics, which are set to be perhaps the chicest ever games on record thanks to a little deal struck by industry behemoth LVMH.
Set to take over Paris across the summer of 2024, the Olympics just found a new sponsor in Bernard Arnault, who, despite recently dropping down Forbes’ list of the richest people in the world, still thankfully has a bit of cash to spare. According to LVMH, a number of its brands, including Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Berluti will kit out many of the French Olympians and Paralympians in on and off-duty looks, while endless bottles of Moët will keep winners and VIP attendees’ swimming in champagne.
In addition to this, LVMH will provide “direct support for certain athletes whose exemplary journeys make them ‘Artisans of All Victories”, like swimmer Léon Marchand. A leading hope for the French Olympic team, 21-year-old Marchand already has a casual three world champion titles and a world record under his belt. Beyond this, LVMH is also joining forces with Secours Populaire Français, a charity it has been working with for a number of years, to bolster a program that will offer 1,000 kids in vulnerable positions to access sports association memberships, training, and classes.
From Telfar dressing the Liberian team at the 2020 Olympics and Martine Rose kitting out the England Lionesses, to football and fashion link-ups between Jack Grealish and Gucci, Son Heung-min and Burberry, and Kylian Mbappe and Dior, fashion and sports crossovers have been gaining speed and momentum for a while now. Given LVMH’s sponsorship of the games – and the big money opportunities for both sides – don’t expect it to slow down any time soon.
