When the 128-year-old ship Belém, carrying the Olympic flame, docked in the southern French port of Marseille on a bright May day two months before the start of the Paris Games, LVMH was already on board.
Belem docks were brought to a standstill amid fireworks, cheers and a flyover of Rafale fighter jets as Olympic swimmer Florent Manado carefully unwrapped the Olympic torch from its custom-made Louis Vuitton trunk to launch the torch relay on French soil sponsored by LVMH-owned beauty retailer Sephora.
The event kicked off the countdown to this summer’s Paris Olympics and a marathon of activities by the world’s largest luxury group as it made its mark on the Games in its home city as one of the event’s biggest and most high-profile sponsors.
„The torch has arrived in a fancy Louis Vuitton trunk,” French rapper Jule shouted to cheers from a crowd of locals and tourists alike. They gathered for a party on the docks as the torch was raised from the ship under the watchful eye of VIP guests, including President Emmanuel Macron and Dior chief executive Delphine Arnold, the eldest daughter of LVMH’s billionaire owner Bernard Arnold.
LVMH’s Olympics kick off comes less than a year after the €350bn luxury group announced it was coming with a sponsorship deal worth €150mn, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
When the Paris Olympics begin on July 26, the month-long spectacle will draw the attention of the city whose image is indelibly intertwined, with brands ranging from the world’s biggest luxury brand Louis Vuitton to jewelry. Chaumet and suiting expert Berluti.
„Even though we announced our partnership a year ago, it’s very short and we haven’t been idle,” said Antoine Arnold, Bernard Arnold’s eldest son, who leads the Olympic partnership across the board. „Our partnership allowed us to contribute to all the key moments of the celebration of these Games, which is a common theme.”
While he expects the Games to be neutral for the group’s bottom line, Arnold added that LVMH’s involvement should „enhance the image of the group and its houses”.
The group’s stamp will be evident at several key moments of the competition, including the torch relay at LVMH’s Cheval Blanc Hotel in the Saint-Emilion wine region and the Louis Vuitton Foundation Art Museum west of Paris.
Berluti creates the opening ceremony uniforms for the French Olympic team, designing a sharp navy suit with skirt or trouser options, French national colors in ombre silk on the lapel. Its workshops are currently making hundreds of fittings for the athletes who will wear them during the spectacle, which will take place on boats floating down the chain through Paris on the 26th.
In VIP bars where drinks flow freely, millions of bottles of Moët & Chandon champagne and Hennessy cognac are distributed to stocked Olympic hospitality venues. Chaumet has designed the medals awarded to the champions, each with a small metal piece from the Eiffel Tower embedded in the center, which will be stored and presented in custom Louis Vuitton trunks.
As the athletes take the podium, volunteers dressed in uniforms designed by Louis Vuitton will carry the awards, featuring the house’s signature brown check on the Salvers made by Louis Vuitton. The group will also host events for VIPs and elite clients at venues such as the Louis Vuitton Foundation and Cheval Blanc Hotel in Pont Neuf, which has views overlooking the Seine, and an exclusive lounge for medal-winning athletes.
The Paris Olympics will “contribute to raising the profile of France throughout the world. It is natural for LVMH and its Maisons to be part of this exceptional international event,” said LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnold when he announced the partnership last year, standing with the Eiffel Tower on a stage surrounded by French ministers and Olympic Committee members. A background.
It makes sense to strengthen the link between LVMH and Paris during an event where the city is the star. Paris has served as a kind of sobriquet for luxury labels for centuries, signifying quality and exclusivity, with several LVMH houses including Céline and Dior bearing the city’s name alongside its creator. Capitalizing on iconic sites from the Louvre’s pyramids to the Pont Neuf, the group often uses the city as a canvas for events and runway shows.
“It’s a win for the team: the price tag [for the sponsorship] Not much for a group of that size, but the exposure is very valuable. It will help say LVMH is Paris, Paris is LVMH,” said a person familiar with the arrangement. And for the organizing committee, „it filled the budget well”.
LVMH’s Olympic partnership represents the pinnacle of the luxury game. While football and basketball were once considered low-brow luxury brand partnerships more closely associated with money-making sports such as sailing, polo and tennis, that has changed in recent decades as ambitious teams have honed their individuality to pursue new clients. Broader, more aspirational base – to greater success.
LVMH is leading the way, with brand ambassador contracts and shooting campaigns with supermodels and actors as well as top athletes. Annie Leibovitz’s 2022 Louis Vuitton campaign, featuring soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi crouching over a chessboard surrounded by the brand’s signature accessories, broke the record for the most likes on Instagram at the time. This year’s Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hike in the Alps once again capitalizes on the star wattage of the two tennis players.
Its competitors are also getting into the game. Italian luxury house Prada has been a sponsor of China’s women’s soccer team since last year, designing chic androgynous suits for them, and Chinese table tennis player Ma Long is a brand ambassador. American designer Thom Browne, part of the Italian Zegna group, has dressed teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers and FC Barcelona. Sticking closely to the most exclusive look of luxury, watchmaker Rolex is a fixture at major tennis tournaments from Wimbledon to Roland-Garros.
LVMH is sponsoring several Olympic athletes, including dressing rising sports stars like 20-year-old French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama in custom Louis Vuitton suits and a collaboration between LVMH-owned American jeweler Tiffany and the NBA in 2023. Seven are sponsored at group level, including French swimmer Leon Marchant and fencer Enzo Lefort, while individual brands have signed deals such as Dior naming a group of female athletes, including US soccer star Alex Morgan.
With weeks to go before the Paris Games, LVMH is undeterred by the fraught politics in France following President Emmanuel Macron’s shock election earlier this month. „This partnership will not be affected in any way by the political climate in France,” said Antoine Arnold. „We’re removed from that.”
As for whether future Olympic sponsorships are on the cards, the team hasn’t ruled them out, although Arnold said he would focus on the current Games before thinking about future events in Los Angeles (2028) or the French Alps (2030). „Nothing is excluded,” he said, but „there is a very significant connection between our homes and Paris”.
Additional reporting by Sarah White
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