The last Olympics — the Paris Summer Games in 2024 — was, famously, the most fashionable Olympics ever.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton — otherwise known as the largest luxury group in the world and the parent company of Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, among others — stepped up as a headline sponsor, the first time a big style name had taken such a prominent role. Those Games were about celebrating and sharing the glory of France, from the Eiffel Tower to the Seine, and the art of fashion was part of that story.
To that end, LVMH not only had its logo splashed around various Olympic venues like the usual sponsors, but many of its brands took center stage. Chaumet redesigned the Olympic medals. Louis Vuitton designed the trunks for the medals and the Olympic torch. Berluti outfitted the French team for the opening ceremony, and Dior dressed Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura for their performances.
Given that Milan, like Paris, is a global fashion center and one of the big four fashion week cities, you’d think they might have taken a page from the last Games and tried to get a fashion sponsor, too. But, no brand apparently ponied up, maybe because the Winter Olympics offer less opportunity for creative dressing, maybe because the uncertain global economic climate has rendered major sponsorships less attractive, or maybe because the Winter Olympics are traditionally less popular among viewers (and potential consumers) than the Summer Games.
That doesn’t mean there are no big fashion names involved, but their participation is on a smaller team or individual level.
It’s too bad. Given the increasing interdependence of sports and fashion, and the fact that increasingly, sports stars are more effective brand ambassadors than movie stars, it seems like a missed opportunity.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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