Is Formula One fashion’s new playground?

The new Formula One season kicks off this weekend in Australia and it seems that the motorsport dominated by the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc has captured the fashion world with everyone from luxury fashion houses to sportswear brands and high street names looking for a piece of the action.

Once confined to a predominantly European audience, Formula 1 has seen its reach grow in recent years, especially within North America, helped by its broadcasting partnership with ESPN and Sky, F1 has expanded global relevance, including a notable +28 percent US viewership to 1.21 million on ESPN in 2022, and it is continuing to grow.

According to Formula 1, the sport has more than 45 million fans in the US and TV viewership in America has increased by 89 percent since 2018. It is also the top market globally for followers and engagement levels on social media. It was also boosted by Formula 1’s fly-on-the-wall reality series ‘Drive To Survive,’ which has attracted a viewership of over 7 million.

The ‘The Influence of Sport’ report by the PR and brand-building agency Karla Otto and the insights specialists Lefty adds that Formula 1 is the second fastest-growing sport contributing towards the Earned Media Value (EMV) of fashion brands, surging 35 percent in 2023, compared to 2022. This means that marketing budgets spent within the F1 ecosystem provide an enormous return on investment.

LVMH takes centre stage as title partner for Formula 1

This season, which will see the sport celebrating its 75th anniversary, also marks a number of firsts, including British driver Hamilton being decked out in red for the first time as a Ferrari driver and French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton taking pole position after conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton signed a 10-year partnership agreement with Formula One in October to become its global partner.

As the title partner, several of LVMH’s Maisons will be involved, including Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy and TAG Heuer.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH Group, said in a statement in October: “In motorsport as in fashion, watchmaking or wines and spirits, every detail counts on the path to success. Both in our workshops and on circuits around the world, it is this incessant search to break boundaries that inspires our vision, and this is the meaning that we want to bring to this great and unique partnership between Formula 1 and our Group.”

The main focal sponsor for the opening weekend will be Louis Vuitton, which has been named title partner and will include prominent trackside signage, a first for Louis Vuitton at a sporting event, as well as being featured during the opening ceremony and on the podium.

For the occasion, Louis Vuitton has designed a newly rendered logo that will feature in on-track signage that reimagines the French fashion house’s signature “in motion” and will debut on the starting line at the Australian Grand Prix 2025 in Melbourne. The luxury brand has also designed a new trophy trunk for the race, bound in its iconic monogram canvas and adorned with the letter ‘V’ – for victory and Vuitton, in Australia’s emblematic colours of green and golden yellow.

Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive at Louis Vuitton, added: “I am immensely proud of this partnership between Louis Vuitton and Formula 1 with our shared ambition to always strive for innovation, craft, and precision.

“The synergy of our two worlds is echoed in the savoir faire of our ateliers and garages, artisans, and engineers, while celebrating the outstanding performance of champion drivers around the world who embark on a journey of excellence with every race.”

LVMH, Puma, and Pacsun secure ties with F1

Fellow LVMH brand TAG Heuer, the official timekeeper of Formula 1, has also been named the first-ever title partner of the Grand Prix de Monaco, which will take place from May 23 to 25. The move will see the luxury watch brand immersed in the action around the circuit across the weekend, including significant trackside placement visible for those on the streets of Monaco and screens around the world.

The brand has also created a special logo to celebrate the historic moment, which will be used across various touchpoints where TAG Heuer is present and the iconic TAG Heuer Monaco clocks will also be displayed throughout the paddock, a new fixture for Formula 1 in 2025.

It isn’t just luxury brands that have seen the potential of F1 growth to expand their audiences, the sport also has collaborations with American youth retailer Pacsun, which signed a multi-year renewal of their licensing agreement in December 2024. The move will see Pacsun tapping into the sport’s growing fandom in America, particularly among young females, and launching several exclusive collections for both adults and children.

On the renewal, Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer at Formula 1, said: “Fashion and design have always been a part of Formula 1, and we’re pleased to continue to give fans the opportunity to bring their passion for the sport to life through new Pacsun products.

“We pride ourselves on how Formula 1 is constantly evolving, and Pacsun’s approach to their collections and collaborations means our partnership, and the way we connect with fans, is too.”

Puma and Formula 1 celebrate 75 years of speed

Sportswear brand Puma has been pioneering motorsport clothing, developing fireproof overalls, race shoes and other high-performance racing gear, as well as teamwear, fan wear and lifestyle collections for some of the leading teams in motorsport since the mid-1980s. In 2023, the brand was announced as the official supplier at Formula 1 races to produce F1 branded apparel, footwear and accessories, as well as supply uniforms to all F1 personnel at the circuit from 2024.

This partnership has seen Puma name rapper A$AP Rocky as creative director for its F1 collections, intersecting sport with streetwear, as it looks to tap into the rapper’s “fashion knowledge, style and cultural expertise” to bring a new perspective to the growing F1 audience. Last year, this saw the brand launching pieces including quilted sweatshirts and pants reminiscent of driver race suits with patches, as well as graphic T-shirts and revisable leather jackets.

For the motorsports 75th anniversary, Puma is paying homage to racing culture, drawing inspiration from mid-century motorsport silhouettes with a collection of racing jackets and water-repellent Moto jackets and pants, as well as sneakers with F1 detailing.

“We are very excited to partner with Formula 1 to celebrate 75-years of racing,” said Thomas Josnik, vice president of motorsport at Puma. “This collection brings together the eternal spirit of motorsport with modern innovation, offering fans apparel and footwear that is truly inspired by the spirit of speed.”

Fashion brands collaborate with F1 teams

As well as official F1 collaborations, several of the teams have signed their own fashion deals, such as McLaren teaming up with British premium retailer Reiss, which unveiled its first commercial collection inspired by “elite performance at the heart of McLaren and the thrill of Formula 1” in 2024. The debut collection spanned men’s, women’s and kid’s and featured elevated leather baseball jackets adorned with McLaren Formula 1 logos, alongside premium knitwear and elegant resort shirts featuring intricately hand-painted print placements of Formula 1 race destinations such as Miami, Monte Carlo, Las Vegas and Silverstone.

McLaren Racing also has a multi-year deal with Los Angeles-based heritage footwear brand K-Swiss, which supplies performance-based footwear to its pit crew and engineers. The partnership started in 2023 and includes a premium apparel and footwear collection celebrating both brands’ heritage.

The British team also unveiled a collaboration with denim brand Levi’s to coincide with the 2024 British Grand Prix, featuring a racing jacket, racing suit, gloves, heritage trucker, heritage 501 jeans, constructor’s T-shirt, and a bandana.

German fashion company Hugo Boss has strengthened its ties with the sport after its Hugo brand was named the official apparel partner of the Visa Cash App Red Bull F1 team. The partnership started with the 2024 season and saw the brand’s logo featured on the drivers’ race suits, teamwear and the cars, as well as designing formalwear for the team’s drivers.

The move follows Hugo’s sister brand Boss, which signed a similar deal with the Aston Martin F1 team in June 2022 to become the official fashion partner of the team, designing a range of formal apparel for its drivers and race and travel wear for the entire team.

Lewis Hamilton brings fashion onto the grid

Lewis Hamilton, who will be driving for Ferrari for the first time this season after leaving Mercedes-Benz last year, stands out as a constant value-driver for luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Dior and Saul Nash, according to Karla Otto’s report, making him F1’s most valuable driver in terms of media impact at 186.4 million US dollar EMV.

This is driven by his popularity on social media, as the star has nearly 40 million personal followers on Instagram. He has starred and collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger, the sponsor of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, as well as eyewear brand Police, and starred in high-profile campaigns with Valentino.

Last year also saw the driver being named a brand ambassador and guest designer for French fashion house Dior, where he worked closely with Kim Jones on a capsule collection centred around skiing and snowboarding to reflect “an alternate side to his sporting and personal life,” while championing Africa and sustainable design.

Recently, the British driver joined Canadian athleisure brand Lululemon as its newest brand ambassador. The seven-time F1 World Champion will not only star in Lululemon campaigns but work with the brand’s research and innovation, design and development teams to collaborate on future products, providing insight and feedback on athletic and lifestyle collections.

Lululemon’s Centre for Social Impact will also partner with Hamilton’s global foundation Mission 44, to integrate movement and mental health experiences into their efforts to build a fairer future for young people through education, employment, and empowerment.

Nikki Neuburger, chief brand and product activation officer at Lululemon, said: “Lewis is a game-changer in every sense of the word. His relentless commitment to performance, wellbeing and impact align completely with what we stand for at Lululemon. We’re excited to partner with him to innovate, inspire, and create positive change together.”