Cultural Olympics: The fashion events surrounding the sporting spectacle

The Summer Olympics begin next week in Paris. However, preparations for the sporting spectacle have caused a stir in the fashion capital’s calendar – runway shows have been cancelled or relocated, and some brands and buyers have stayed away this season in the face of logistical difficulties and higher costs. Despite all the challenges, the fashion world is not letting the opportunity pass to position itself in a sporting and cultural context.

Home game for LVMH

The luxury conglomerate LVMH is prominently showcasing itself as a partner of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. The suitcase that housed the Olympic torch on its journey from Athens was crafted in the workshops of Louis Vuitton. More than 200 employees of the group, from the stores and workshops of its brands, will pass on the Olympic flame during the torch relay throughout France. Fashion brands such as Berluti, Dior, and the luxury department store La Samaritaine are also involved in events blending art, sport, and Olympic values.

Parcours at Berluti

Berluti will not only dress the French national team for the opening ceremony. The menswear label also collaborated with artist Mathieu Forget. The dancer, choreographer, acrobat, and photographer put together an immersive display from a series of photographs that connect movement, sport, and fashion. The artist embarked on a journey to the Olympic and Paralympic sports, capturing the associated movements while dressed in Berluti or sportswear. The imagery is on on display until 9 September 2024 at the store at 9 Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Dior

The Galerie Dior presents a series of photographs showcasing the house’s sporting ambassadors in an exhibition that is on display from 19 June to 9 September 2024 at 11 Rue François Premier. The house’s couture collection celebrated the Olympic sporting spirit with bodysuits, knee-high sandals, and pleated dresses borrowed from the wardrobe of ancient Greece. The intertwining of sport and fashion is currently undeniable – as is the men’s collection, which Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton is set to design as brand ambassador and guest designer for Dior.

Louis Vuitton

The LV Dream destination invites you on an immersive journey at the Pont Neuf bridge. On display, from 18 June to 31 December 2024, Quai de la Mégisserie, Paris, is a selection of archival documents, photographs, and emblematic and previously unpublished objects related to the Olympic disciplines.

The house of the Louis Vuitton family in Asnières, France, has also opened its doors to visitors for the first time with an exhibition entitled ‘La Malle Courrier’. On display are suitcases and trunks from the Asnières workshops, which also crafted the trunk for the Olympic torch, in an exhibition running until 31 December 2024, 18, rue Louis Vuitton, Asnières.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is showcasing works by five French and international artists in connection with the Paris Olympic torch relay: Abraham Poincheval, Andreas Gursky, Roman Signer, Omar Victor Diop, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The exhibition will take place until 9 September 2024, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi.

Nike

Nike is collaborating with the Centre Pompidou during the Olympic Games in Paris. From 24 July to 11 August, the ‘The Art of Victory’ exhibition opens at the renowned museum, highlighting the development of its most successful sneaker, the Nike Air. The sports giant has also secured the facade and will be using it to display animations.

Nike is also launching its third capsule collection with French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus in time for the Olympics. The accompanying short film ‘J’aime Paris’ brings together personalities from culture and sport, such as French actress Juliette Binoche and tennis player Serena Williams.

Decathlon

As an official partner of the Olympic Games, Decathlon is offering sporting events from 27 July to 11 August at the Parc de la Villette. The Decathlon Playground presents itself as an experience that blends sport, art, and culture. Spectators can follow the various competitions through broadcasts on large screens. Sports clubs will also be present to share their passion and commitment. The public will have the further opportunity to interact with the athletes of the Decathlon x Paris 2024 team sponsored by Decathlon. Live concerts, artistic performances, and immersive installations are also planned.

‘Fashion in Motion’ exhibition at the Palais Galliera

Echoing the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the ‘Fashion en mouvement’ exhibition has been on display at the Palais Galliera since June last year and will run until 7 September 2025.

The exhibition examines clothing designed for both physical activities and sports, as well as everyday wear. This dual perspective raises questions about the “specialisation of sportswear”, the “adaptation of women’s clothing to physical activity at the end of the 19th century”, the “masculinisation of women’s clothing”, and the “entry of sportswear into everyday wardrobes”.
For this occasion, the Palais Galliera is showcasing loans from the Émile Hermès collection, as well as from the fashion houses Chanel, Sonia Rykiel, and Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will be presented in three consecutive parts for conservation reasons, and its content will be updated accordingly.

Havaianas

Havaianas is also coming to the Olympics in Paris. A 149-square-metre pop-up store invites Parisians and tourists to immerse themselves in the sunny world of the brand from 25 June to 31 August. A rainbow wall showcases flip-flops in various shades, while an imposing sun sculpture made of 478 flip-flops sits in the centre of the store. Screens display idyllic images of Copacabana Beach, instantly transporting visitors to the heart of the Brazilian summer.

Maje

Just a few days before the Olympics, French ready-to-wear brand Maje opened a very short-lived pop-up at the Galeries Lafayette department store, dedicated to its latest sports collection. The “Club Saint Honoré” capsule will be available here until 30 July. It was inspired by French athlete Elodie Clouvel, who specialises in modern pentathlon.

Ethical Fashion Triathlon

The Ethical Fashion Triathlon, taking place from 15 July to 15 August 2024, is a competition. The challenge is to create a wearable work of art or piece of jewellery from used clothing and objects related to the practice of a sport. The aim of the competition is to raise awareness of material recycling in connection with sport, as well as to highlight the know-how and innovations in this field on the occasion of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

Spot24

Fashion and luxury are also part of Spot24, an Olympic exhibition at the foot of the Eiffel Tower dedicated to the connection between sport and urban culture, with a particular emphasis on new Olympic sports such as sport climbing, BMX, freestyle, skateboarding, surfing, basketball 3×3, and break dancing. Numerous works and archival pieces from the exhibition, organised by the Paris Tourist Office, come from the collection of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

This article was created with the help of Florence Julienne, Julia Garel, Sharon Camara, and Weixin Zha.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.DE. Translation via AI and edit by Rachel Douglass.