THE BIG BLUE: Following the announcement that LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton will be a premium partner of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Louis Vuitton said Monday that it has signed French swimmer Léon Marchand as its latest brand ambassador.
Marchand was named last week as the first athlete to be sponsored by LVMH, the parent company of Vuitton, Dior and other brands, ahead of the Games. It expects to partner with another four or five athletes who will benefit from financial support and privileged introductions to the group’s houses.
Given the champion swimmer’s streak of winning performances, Vuitton wasted no time in snapping him up.
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Hot off the World Aquatics Championships in Japan, where he broke Michael Phelps’ last individual world record, Marchand joins a list of Vuitton ambassadors from the world of sports who include tennis players Carlos Alcaraz and Naomi Osaka; skier Eileen Gu, and soccer player Sam Li Sirong, among others.
“Driven by the same spirit of perseverance and excellence held dear to Louis Vuitton, Léon Marchand continues to set the bar ever higher within his discipline,” the brand said in a statement.
“At only 21 years old, the Olympic swimmer who first participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 has shown unprecedented achievement and is one of the best chances of victory and medals for the French team in several events,” it added.
LVMH will reveal more details of its Olympic partnerships in the runup to the opening ceremony, scheduled to take place on July 26, 2024.
Antoine Arnault, head of communication, image and environment at LVMH, said several of its houses will play a special role during the Games, with jeweler Chaumet designing the medals, and Vuitton, Dior, Berluti, Sephora and the Moët Hennessy wines and spirits division also taking part.
While Arnault declined to comment on the role of Vuitton, the world’s biggest luxury brand has a history of sports collaborations, producing trophy cases for partners including the NBA, America’s Cup, the FIFA World Cup and the Rugby World Cup.
The brand is likely to have some involvement with the Olympic medal ceremonies, sources said.