Words: Zak Maoui
Paris, France. The city of lights. The place to fall in love. But most importantly, the Grande Dame of Fashion. The global centre of the fashion industry, it's a place bursting at its tightly sewn seams with imagination, creativity and very nice clothing designs. For over a century it has been that way. The titans of luxury Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel consider the Gallic capital their hometown, as do those big brands from afar that have set up base there. Paris, unarguably, remains the capital of fashion.
So when the city announced its intention to bid for the Olympic Games on 23 June 2015 and eventually won the coveted right, we knew we'd be in for some of the most stylish games to ever take place. The games have long served as a stage for the intersection of sport and fashion, but the 2024 Paris Olympics gave promise to be the most fantastically fashion yet (and not because Tom Daley, after a brief retirement, was set to start knitting again in the stands). In the past the big brands dominating the scene were Nike and Adidas, while at the 2012 Olympics Stella McCartney served as the designer behind Team GB's kits. Sure, there have been little instances of fashion toying with the Olympics at previous events, but this year, with the games taking place in the world capital of luxury fashion for the first time in 100 years, non-sports brands were more than present.
The 33rd Olympiad didn't just pique the interest of sports spectators, but also that of LVMH. The world's largest luxury conglomerate, owned by the world's richest man Bernard Arnault and in turn the owner of Celine, Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Sephora, and Dom Perignon, invested 150 million euros ($163 million) in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games, making it a bonafide fashion event as much as a sports extravaganza from the offset.
And the Olympics kicked off in true style. Pharrell Williams, artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, co-hosted the "Prelude to the Olympics" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton alongside Anna Wintour, setting the pace for the rest of the Olympic Games. A star-studded ensemble, from Zendaya and Serena Williams to Mick Jagger and Rosalia. It was more about the outfits that guests were wearing (the dress code instructed them to dress, essentially, in the colours of the three medals up for grabs in the games), than it was the actual sport that was about to grip the world for two weeks.
But LVMH's involvement didn't end there. The Prelude was a teaser for what was to come in terms of the conglomerate's involvement in the games. On the day of the Opening Ceremony, Pharrell was one of the final torch bearers (the torch is housed in a Louis Vuitton trunk), decked out in Louis Vuitton and his own Adidas shoes (a Skateboard P-designed Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 performance runner).
The Opening Ceremony itself was a wonderful display of the best of French fashion. But not just because one of the segments was dedicated to rising designers, but because some of the most established talents who took place were decked out in couture. Dior was the label of choice for most, likely because it's got the best couture history and facilities of all the LVMH brands. Lady Gaga wore a custom black ostrich feather coat, Cynthia Erivo in emerald satin, French recording artist Aya Nakamura was glittering in gold, while Celine Dion wore a white silk georgette floor-length gown that was encrusted with and took 1000 hours to make. The athletes themselves wore official kits made by designers from their home countries. France's were custom-made by Berluti, Jan Société for the Czech Republic, Emporio Armani for Italy, London Fashion Week menswear favourite Labrum London's designed for Sierra Leone, Michel & Amazonka for Mongolia (arguably the winner) and Ralph Lauren for the United States. Peek social media that evening, and the commentary was, largely, about the fashion choices of those in charge of the nations' uniforms.
Fast-forward two weeks to the Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France, and French singer Yseult had her own Dior Haute Couture moment in a look that she said was inspired by Dior ambassador Rihanna's past outfits. Louis Vuitton opened the Closing Ceremony by outfitting singer Zaho de Sagazan, who performed in front of the Olympic Basin in the heart of the Tuileries Gardens.
It wasn't just at the bookending events nor with the performers that the Olympics became as much about clothes and personal style, but also at the game themselves, and with the athletes striving for gold. Throughout the games you'd spot the branding of LVMH's houses, including the Louis Vuitton trays upon which medals were presented (and the ultra chic neutral-hued LV uniforms of the medal tray bearers), while the athletes took their spotlight moments to get down with their personal style.
1500m Team GB medal hopeful Josh Kerr rocked his trademark Oakley sunglasses semi-final heat. As much a fashion choice as it was a performance enhancer. Not just a uniform fit for tucks and rolls, The bedazzled leotard design worn by Simone Biles, labelled "Luminous Legacy," included nods to French corsets and Wonder Woman armour, and was designed by Jeanne Diaz. Biles also wore a Janet Heller Fine Jewellery "Goat" necklace, which was cast in 14-carat white gold piece and encrusted with 546 diamonds. Japan's Yuto Horigome won gold in the men's street skateboarding final, wearing the Nike SB Dunk Low sneakers he collaborated on. Kim Yeji of the Republic of Korea was one of the shooting athletes, and was kitted out by Fila in streamlined uniforms that got the Internet excited for a sport that usually is overlooked. And of course, at each of the games Official timekeeper Omega was visible. Red clocks and Omega branding at every event. An easy way to get watch nerds into the games. Even Gap managed to get in there, in the same way it did the last Met Gala where it made a custom denim dress for Da'Vine Joy Randolph. At the Olympics Athletica, which is owned by Gap, dressed Simone Biles, arguably the most famous female face of the 2024 games.
And big Olympics style came in the form of personal care too. Sha’Carri Richardson’s nails were, as ever, nailing, which became a common thread at this year's games. Athletes from France's Sara Balze to rower Koko Komlanvi of Team Togo used nail art to get their own personalities across. Noah Lyles, the US champion, had nail art, among other designs, that read ‘Icon’. France's judo bronze medalist Shirine Boukli showed her tooth gems on the podium during the women 48kg medal ceremony.
As the games came to a close on Sunday night, Paris' turn as the host country was spectacularly ended when Léon Marchand carried the lantern where the Olympic Flame burns from the Tuileries to the Stade de France and then into the Stade de France at the end of the Ceremony. What was he wearing? Louis Vuitton.
Even as the Olympics committee shifted their gaze to Los Angeles, which will be the host city for the Olympics in 2028, fashion's role was still evident. Twitter (or X) was ablaze with users chatting about Billie Eilish's custom Ralph Lauren look. And, despite the city not being known for its fashion week or houses, we're still expecting brands to go big at the games. Ralph Lauren, which outfitted the athletes, also had a massive presence in Paris. Most US stars arriving in the city as spectators of the games wore products from the Olympics capsule, whether it was Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Spike Lee or Kendall Jenner. Not an LVMH brand, but definitely one of the noisiest.
In some ways, it comes as little surprise that fashion has played such a big part in this year's Olympics, and not just because the games took place in Paris. It follows a larger trend which has seen sport and fashion come closer together in recent years. Prada tapped the China's women's national football team for the World Cup last year and Gucci wanted a slice of Jannick Sinner, outfitting him for Wimbledon. Meanwhile, take a look at any Front Row at any fashion week and you'll likely spot a footballer or two.
Fashion is betting big on sport, and there was no bigger sporting stage for it do so at than the Olympics.
Want more sport content? Read an interview with our summer 2024 cover star Charles Leclerc
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