Fashion champions

Athletes and the fashion industry are preparing for the arrival of 2024 with different perspectives but a common goal in mind, the Paris 2024 Olympic games, which will begin on July 26. From Jannik Sinner with Gucci to Léon Marchand and Lebron James with Louis Vuitton and Marcell Jacobs and Victor Wembanyama with Nike, athletes are increasingly becoming the focus of brands’ communication strategies. With a deal worth 150 million euros, Lvmh has become a premium partner of the Paris Olympic games, bringing total sponsorship revenue to 1.24 billion, while the Organizing Committee has an operating budget of approximately 4.4 billion euros. There’s growing excitement about learning who the official national team designers are. Ralph Lauren strengthened his partnership with Team USA, which began in Beijing 2008 and will continue until Los Angeles 2028, where, in addition to designing the Team’s uniforms, it will be the official outfitter of the Games. Giorgio Armani, with its EA7 Emporio Armani collection, has renewed his partnership with Team Italy, which began in London 2012 and will continue until Milan-Cortina 2026. Belgium’s uniforms will be designed by Alexa Fairchild, a Belgian designer and equestrian athlete who competed in Tokyo 2020.

However, above all, there is growing excitement about seeing champions such as Léon Marchand, the first athlete ever sponsored by Bernard Arnault’s Giant; Jannik Sinner, who, after leading Italy to the Davis Cup title, is aiming for Slam tournaments and an Olympic medal; Marcell Jacobs, who hopes to replicate his Tokyo 2020 success following a difficult few years; Victor Wembanyama, the 100 million-euro Nba rookie who holds the hopes of French basketball; and Lebron James, who might be nearing the end of his legendary career. The South Tyrolean tennis player capped off a record-breaking 2023 season, even in financial terms. After arriving at Wimbledon with a Gucci duffel bag and winning the Davis Cup for the first time in 47 years following Adriano Panatta’s success, defeating Novak Djokovic twice in the semifinals, he became Italy’s most searched athlete on Google. With prize money from the various Atp-Association of Tennis Professionals and Grand Slam tournaments played this year, the tennis player has earned more than 8 million euros, which with sponsors amounts to more than 30 million euros, including 15 million euros per year from the 2022 Nike endorsement, which will earn him 150 million euros over the ten-year contract’s total duration. The fees from advertisements and partnerships with Gucci and Rolex are kept under wraps and would increase the player’s earnings even more. The 21-year-old Léon Marchand is establishing himself as one of the world’s next swimming stars, having broken Michael Phelps’ previous record in the 400-meter medley at the World Championships in Fukuoka last summer. Phelps record had lasted 21 years, becoming the longest-running record in the discipline’s history. At the Paris Olympic Games, the French swimmer is expected to confirm his spot among the sport’s stars. A lot of people are betting on his talent, especially at Lvmh. The French athlete is the first to be sponsored by Bernard Arnault’s Giant with Louis Vuitton, the holding company’s flagship Fashion House. The agreement boosts the swimmer’s earnings, which are estimated to be between 1 and 5 million euros in prize money and endorsements. Another highly anticipated event in transalpine sports is Victor Wembanyama’s call-up to the French national basketball team. The most hyped rookie in Nba history signed a sponsorship with Nike even before his arrival in the US professional league. According to several overseas sources, the deal would earn him 100 million euros. Moreover, he will receive 12.1 million euros per year from the San Antonio Spurs, the team that selected him first overall in the 2023 NBA draft, until the 2026-27 season. French fans are rooting for the 2.24-meter to win gold and avenge the French Team’s poor performance at the World Championship in Asia last summer, where it was eliminated at the group stage despite being one of the favorites for the final victory. There are also high expectations for LeBron James. The Lakers star, who is the face of Louis Vuitton’s spring-summer 2024 menswear campaign, has been Nike’s star athlete for over 20 years. In 2015, his lifetime contract was renewed for an estimated 1 billion euros, which added to the 47 million euros he already receives from the Los Angeles team each year. The basketball legend could end his career next summer, aiming to win his third Olympic gold medal, following those of Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and “avenge” his teammates’ unsuccessful fourth-place finish at the last World Championship. Finally, Marcell Jacobs, the Italian sprinter and defending Olympic champion in both the 100 meters and the 4x100 meters relay, who has dressed Armani on multiple occasions, is currently endorsed by Puma, although the specific terms of this sponsorship remain undisclosed. He was previously a Nike athlete, earning 850,000 euros per year. Jacobs, like many minor sports athletes, is a member of the Italian armed forces, specifically the Fiamme Oro of the state police. This is a common practice in Italy, where athletes from less prominent disciplines frequently join the police or army. They receive a fixed monthly salary, in Jacobs’ case approximately 1,300 euros, comparable to that of a regular police officer. This arrangement also grants these athletes free access to the corps’ training facilities. (All rights reserved)