From fashion to the luxury sector: Firms are betting on athletes as icons

Beyond the playing field, elite athletes conquer their audience through luxury, an alliance in which values ​​and aesthetics merge to go from selling products to praising new influencers: From the furor over the Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz for Louis Vuitton to LVMH with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Almost thirty years have passed since the Williams sisters starred on the cover of Vogue under the lens of Annie Leibovitz. Serena, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her credit, in addition to four Olympic golds, would do it four more times, becoming a great precursor between luxury and sport.

The concept baptized by fashion experts as ‘athleisure’ began to make waves in 2020, intended for casual and sporty clothing for everyday use. Driven in part by the pandemic, it would establish a new dress code that, with its triumph, has transcended luxury and claimed new ambassadors.

‘High-end’ models

Although the alliance between fashion and sport has always been common, functioning as a springboard for brands to sell all types of products, the universe of luxury and its aspirational values ​​is now taking over by turning athletes into new protagonists for high-end fashion. spectrum.

In November, the Christian Dior brand made the wheelchair tennis player Pauline Déroulède the brand’s ambassador for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024, following in the wake of the gymnast Mélanie de Jesús, who holds the title of having been four-time European champion.

At the age of 21, the Danish-born tennis player Holger Rune (number six in the world) became the image of the Armani brand. Carlos Alcaraz did the same, surprising with a campaign for Louis Vuitton, one more on his list after posing for brands like Calvin Klein, evidencing this step from commercial fashion to luxury.

Athletes, idols who connect with young generations both for their achievements and their aesthetics, also have legions of followers on social networks, an essential communication channel today for brands in order to generate influence and sales.

Luxury thus expands a spectrum that has historically evolved from big screen celebrities to singers, influencers and, now and with increasing weight towards the figure of elite athletes in campaigns, advertisements and public events such as presentations.

Tennis and also football

Another proof of this is the commitment of the luxury conglomerate LVMH and its commitment to appear in various sporting events: From the Copa América to dressing the majority of those attending the Ballon d’Or or the Rugby World Cup, in addition to become, as announced on its platforms, a ‘premium’ partner of the Olympic Games.

In addition to tennis, which has required certain codes linked to elegance among its ranks, football also reaches this sphere, and its faces go from promoting sportswear to concepts of luxury. Proof of this are the agreements between Moncler and Dior to design formal clothing and clothing for some clubs.

This is how Dior signed an alliance with the French club PSG that was consolidated with the appearance of Lionel Messi dressed in a suit from the firm for his presentation upon signing for the Paris club, a moment immortalized on the player’s Instagram and which was he did with eight million ‘likes’ on the platform. With EFE

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