The sporting and fashion worlds are increasingly coming together. This is seen in how designer brands are taking on athletes as their ambassadors.
Famous faces from the sporting arena are appearing front and centre in different campaigns.
In February, Louis Vuitton announced that basketball superstar Victor Wembanyama is joining its roster of celebrity endorsers.
A rising star on the international sports scene, the young athlete began his basketball career in his hometown of Nanterre in France, before rising in the regional ranks and playing his first match for the French National Team in 2022.
Within his first season, he swept the board, winning titles including “Most Valuable Player”, “Best Young Player Of The Year”, “Leading Scorer” and “Leading Shot Blocker”.
Wembanyama was later selected number one overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
For Dior, it skater Aurelien Giraud that has the potential to catch all eyes. The fashion house snapped him up as ambassador in February.
Hailing from Lyon, he is one of France’s top skateboard hopes at this year’s Olympics.
He reportedly first tried the sport at age four. It was only the year after that his father bought him his first board, and the Frenchman has been skateboarding ever since.
His first career breakthrough came in 2015, when he won the Street League Skateboarding Tampa Am contest in Florida as a 17-year-old – one of the most prestigious amateur events on the circuit.
Read more: Sensibility of couture: In gymnastics, leotards bridge fashion and sport
Since then, Giraud has added three World Cup Skateboarding event wins (two in 2017 and one in 2019), a Dew Tour gold medal in 2019 and bronze medal in 2021, two national championship wins in 2019 and 2022, and a sixth-place finish at the sport’s Olympic debut during Tokyo 2020.
He placed second at the 2022 World Street Skateboarding event in Rome, the first Olympic ranking qualification event for 2024.
There is also figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who took on the role of Gucci’s ambassador in April.
The Japanese athlete is regarded as among the greatest figure skaters in the world.
At age 19, Hanyu became the first Asian man to win an Olympic gold medal when he triumphed in Sochi in 2014, becoming the youngest men’s champion since 1948.
He followed up by defending his Olympic title in PyeongChang 2018, becoming the first man to go back-to-back for Olympic gold since 1952 (Richard Button).
During his career, Hanyu has also won two world titles and four Grand Prix Finals. He was also the first skater to successfully land a quadruple loop jump in ISU competition, doing so in 2016.
He has broken an extraordinary 18 world scoring records, and was also the first man ever to break the 100-point mark in the short programme, the first to gain 200 points in a free skate, and the first to get a combined total of 300.
Back in November, Burberry released visuals for its Spring/Summer 2024 campaign – and it featured footballer Son Heung-min.
The South Korean football star, who plays as a forward for and captains both Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korea national team, was announced as its global ambassador back in 2022.
Since then, he has attended fashion events by the brand, as well as fashion week presentations.
Yuzuru Hanyu appears at ease in a suit and sneaker outfit combo. Photo: Gucci
Son Heung-min shows off a winning look, which comprises a contemporary windbreaker style jacket and embellished pullover. Photo: Burberry
Read more: Ahead of the Olympics, fashion week brings another layer of chaos to Paris
Son is the first Asian football player to win the Premier League Golden Boot award, scoring 23 goals in the 2021–22 season. In April 2023, he became the first Asian player to score 100 Premier League goals.
Not only that, he received the Cheongnyong Medal in 2022 for his achievements as a footballer. This is the highest order of merit for achievement in sports given to a South Korea citizen.
Other big names, like tennis star Serena Williams and football icon David Beckham, have not only taken on roles as ambassadors, but they managed to even launch their own brands.
It just shows that sports and fashion can indeed be a dream team. The powerful influence of athletes is just as formidable as what the showbiz industry has to offer in terms of its red carpet glitterati.