How fashion is aiming for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics

On Friday, Pharrell Williams carried this year’s Olympic torch to the top of the Basilica of Saint Denis in Paris, marking the start of the Games and unveiling his new collaboration with adidas Adizeo Adios Pro Evo 1 shoes. Near the Eiffel Tower, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, wearing Louis Vuitton and Thom Browne respectively, slipped into the VIP section of the opening ceremony while promoting their upcoming film, Wicked. Just before, Lady Gaga performed “Mon Truc En Plumes” on the banks of the Seine, wearing a Dior haute couture outfit, while French singer Aya Nakamura (also in Dior) performed a mash-up of her songs “Pookie” and “Djadja” on the Pont des Arts. Simultaneously, the world’s best athletes sailed down the river, representing their countries in outfits meticulously crafted by international designers for this monumental and widely watched event.

Alas, the 2024 Summer Olympics are underway, THE It’s the ultimate cultural moment for fashion to take its biggest part yet in the most influential sporting event on the planet, in the very heart of its own world capital.

LVMH, the world’s largest luxury conglomerate, home to brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chaumet and Tiffany & Co., is the premium partner for the 2019 edition, marking the first time a high-fashion company has backed the elite sporting event. The sponsorship, reportedly worth $163 million, has previously been held by less glamorous megabrands like Visa, Procter & Gamble and General Electric. LVMH’s move means its lineup of luxury and heavyweight brands will appear throughout the Games in all sorts of inventive ways, giving the most-watched sporting event a high-end makeover that’s particularly fitting for its host city.

Among LVMH’s touchpoints, winning athletes will be presented with Chaumet-designed medals on trays made by Louis Vuitton, which feature the house’s signature Damier canvas and matte black leather interiors, a nod to the brand’s historic “Torches et Médailles” trunks. Team France athletes will wear Berluti menswear, designed in collaboration with French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld, for their official appearances; the country’s judo team will wear costumes inspired by Kenzo’s kimono; participants will sip Moët bubbles; and Sephora’s signage throughout the Olympic torch relay was certainly no coincidence.

On Thursday night, LVMH hosted “Prelude to the Olympic Games,” a full-fledged opening ceremony, at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. Serena Williams, Zendaya, Jeremy Allen White, LeBron James, Mick Jagger, and Snoop Dogg were among the many famous faces who took to the green, racetrack-inspired carpet in a legion of LVMH-backed looks. Tennis star Naomi Osaka wore a sheer blue Louis Vuitton blouse with a matching tufted bag; basketball player Angel Reese arrived with a classic LV scarf tied around her neck, and gymnast Aly Raisman carried one of Vuitton’s signature trunks. “Sports stars are the new superstars,” said Anna Wintour, the evening’s co-host. The New York Times “It’s about bringing people together to celebrate a cause, which is love,” added Snoop, who carried the Olympic torch in Paris.

The Paris 2024 Olympics are set to become the most-watched edition of the Games since the 2016 Games, according to The world of fashion. It will also be the first time that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, and visitors are expected to spend around €2.6 billion (US$2.8 billion) during their stay in Paris. So businesses are naturally interested. The fashion market, in particular, is quite saturated, but for those able to capitalize on the event, the profits look nothing short of fantastic.

Outside of LVMH circles, international designers are capitalizing on the Olympics’ record audience by designing the athletes’ outfits. The Mongolian team’s kit, made in just three months by sisters Michel, Amazonka, and Munkhjargal Choigaalaa of couture label Michel & Amazonka, has gone viral on the web thanks to its stunning embroidery of birds and mountains, meant to symbolize freedom and hard work, respectively, in the country’s colors of blue, red, and white. Lululemon created custom prints for the Canadian team’s collection; Stella Jean led the design of the Haitian team’s uniforms, which include chambray shirts and loose skirts decorated with Philippe Dodard’s artwork; Ralph Lauren designed the U.S. team’s 14-piece kit, which draws on the designer’s signature preppy design codes. Menswear brand Concrete made the Egypt team’s products, and British-African brand Labrum joined adidas for the Sierra Leone team’s apparel, featuring the sportswear giant’s thriving Cowrie Shell motif on the three stripes, and the list goes on.

Fashion has always been a part of the Olympics, but its overwhelming presence at this summer’s edition seems all the more relevant given the industry’s strong focus on sports in recent months. Brands like LOEWE, Jacquemus and Palomo Spain have signed sports collaborations with brands like On Running, Nike and Puma, respectively. Brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton have made their debut on the tennis court, with the former dressing Italian champion Jannik Sinner and the latter hiring Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for an outdoor campaign.

Meanwhile, soccer uniforms continued to gain popularity during the EURO and Copa America, and the WNBA established itself as a leading fashion frontier, with Caitlin Clark dressed in Prada—a first for an NBA or WNBA prospect—and Angel Reese walking the notoriously exclusive steps of this year’s Met Gala. During Paris Fashion Week in June, Vogue World, the eponymous publication that celebrates the annual shows, connected the dots between fashion and sports over the past century with a melting pot of notables from both worlds.

It could be said that the connection between fashion and sport has never been stronger. Perhaps the rise of trendy running clubs, the hype around fashion The challengers The press tour or the growing attention on the WNBA may be partly responsible for the industry’s recent shift toward athletics. (If one thing is for sure, fashion will But it’s likely that these brands have always looked away from the Olympic rings, finding alternative ways to align themselves with the sporting sphere before the Games began. And now that the podiums are ready, fashion brands are appearing tangentially, externally and parallel to the Olympics in every possible way.

Youssouf Fofana, the Parisian fashion designer behind Maison Château Rouge and philanthropic founder of United Youth International (UYI), has been named Jordan Brand’s creative director for the Summer Olympics. In his role, he has redeveloped the Tati Barbes building in the 18th arrondissement into District 23, a curated community hub where Jordan Brand will host fashion design classes, showcase cultural exhibits, host basketball competitions and more for youth during the Games.

Nike, one of the biggest sports sponsors of the event, has partnered with the Centre Pompidou, the French landmark that inspired the design of the Air Max 1 nearly 40 years ago. Working with the museum, the sportswear giant has taken over the entire façade of the building with “Art of Victory” images showcasing its athletic creations in track and field, basketball, soccer and more.

Kim Kardashian’s brand SKIMS has signed an official sponsorship deal for Team USA’s underwear, pajamas and loungewear and has since become the subject of several TikTok vlogs from athletes currently in the Village. Oakley has also outfitted Team USA in its high-quality eyewear, serving as the team’s “Official Offshore Outfitter.” Less directly, Kith has dug into the archives to produce a full collection for Team USA fans, with a campaign featuring Kevin Durant.

Surreal marketing king Simon Porte Jacquemus has created a viral series of Olympic-inspired clips, featuring models swimming in kiddie pools on grass fields and giant iterations of his signature accessory line on running tracks. Elsewhere, OMEGA has launched a $12,000 bronze-gold watch inspired by Olympic medals; J. Crew has designed an unofficial swimwear line with USA Swimming; Athleta has launched an “Anthem” collection for enthusiastic spectators, and Tracksmith’s “Federation” line nods to what athletes wear throughout the Olympics—from Opening Ceremony blazers to performance-focused competition tanks. Even laid-back streetwear brands like Anti Social Social Club have put their spin on the Games, with capsule collections inspired by its motifs. While none of the aforementioned releases have any official connection to the Olympics, their association with the Games alone is enough to grab consumers’ attention.

In these divisive times, the Olympics are one of the few stages where the world’s gaze momentarily converges. It’s a marketer’s dream, and fashion brands in particular are smartly placing themselves at the center of the action, whether on the backs of the world’s most talented athletes or on their own shelves cheering them on.

There’s a unique sense of community—the idea that you, as a spectator, can feel connected to something much bigger than yourself, even if only for a brief moment—that makes the Games so moving. As fans around the world watched Olympic athletes parade beneath the Pont Alexandre III, the same destination where John Galliano’s Artisanal 2024 show for Maison Margiela left the fashion world in an emotional trance earlier this year, the connection between the two worlds became clear: fashion and sport both evoke the kind of powerful emotions that fuel culture, shape identities, and, most importantly, create a sense of belonging. The Paris 2024 Olympics mark the culmination of their collision, and it’s safe to say that the next Games will be the most fashionable ever.