Vegas, Baby!

the F1 x fashion cross-over is only getting started

All eyes (and stars) were in Las Vegas for the second-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) race this weekend which coincided with a celeb-studded Inaugural Gala hosted at the Wynn for amfAR, the world’s leading nonprofit supporting AIDS research and HIV prevention. 

In addition to mainstream media, there was great creator coverage including F1 podcasters Two Girls, One Formula who were hosted by The Venetian Resort and Fan Behavior who was hosted by Ford. 

Fashion x F1:

Balmain had a pop up at the Bellagio (Lewis Hamilton wore Balmain to the LA Gladiators II premiere the week prior), Balenciaga had an event at the Wynn for their limited-edition Racing Series, and Puma hosted an event for their Speedcat shoe attended by brand ambassador Charles LeClerc, alongside Carlos Sainz, EmRata, and others to help open Puma’s 25,000-square-foot flagship store on the Las Vegas Strip.

Talent-led brands also made an appearance. Lewis Hamilton’s new +44 x GOLF WANG collection dropped on Wednesday at the Wynn and Daniel Ricciardo’s clothing brand Enchanté had a pop-up at The Cosmopolitan. Creator Morgan Riddle was also on the scene, interviewing on the red carpet of amfAR, posting with Paris Hilton from a T-Mobile Suite, and creating content about the McLaren x Mastercard partnership. 

In a timely feature, The Athletic profiled Tommy Hilfiger about his lifelong love of racing and partnership with Lewis Hamilton. It’s worth taking the time to read in its entirety, but some notable highlights below: 

• “The New York native went from sneaking into races and going bankrupt to now being the clothing sponsor for Mercedes, an official partner of F1 Academy and sponsoring Apple’s upcoming F1 movie.”

• “In spring 2018, [Lewis] Hamilton was named a global ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger, and the same year, the brand became the clothing sponsor for Mercedes’ F1 team.” 

• “Tommy Hilfiger’s motorsports presence expanded earlier this year when it became F1 Academy’s official partner… Hilfiger said, ‘I think it’s an incredible idea to have women racing, and Susie Wolff is proof in the pudding. She herself has had a great career, and with her involvement, we became very excited about it.’”

  • Hilfiger joined Wolff on the Female Quotient Equality Lounge stage at LVGP for a talk about driving female sports forward on Friday 

Prediction: With the 2025 race season opener returning to Melbourne for the first time since 2019, it could be a great opportunity for Australian brands to partner (Zimmermann raceday capsule anyone?) Keep your eyes peeled for more fashion brands started by the drivers themselves, following the lead of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo, and brands partnerships with F1 Academy drivers, as pioneered by Tommy Hilfiger.

Major Moves…

• Coach Andy! Novak Djokovic hires former rival Andy Murray as new coach (ESPN)

• Antoine Arnault is about to give football club Paris FC the LVMH experience. LVMH Scion Lays Out Plan to Bring Paris Football Club to the Top (Bloomberg)

  • It’s worth noting that LVMH is putting big $$ behind sports partnerships—they were a premium sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, replaced Rolex as a major sponsor of F1 in a $1B partnership, and sponsored the America’s Cup as we discussed last week

• Ski brand Yardsale is popping up at 213 Bowery starting tomorrow and they have giveaways for the first ten people in line

• Prince Harry has a documentary about polo coming out in December 

• WNBA Star Caitlin Clark Joins Cincinnati Group In NWSL Expansion Bid (Forbes)

• Tate McRae released a motorsports-inspired music video for her song “2 Hands”

• Alex Cooper talks about her $125 million deal to grow her multimedia empire and how her Olympic hosting debut came to be

• Sporty & Rich’s latest collaboration with Adidas dropped online and in-store

• Coco Gauff’s insta story this week gets us excited for something new with New Balance

What We’re Reading: 

• Wellness clubs are the new social clubs. Want to Network in Silicon Valley? Bring a Bathing Suit (WSJ)

• “We’ll double our men’s business by 2026,” said Lululemon CEO’s in this profile by Grace Cook. (FT) 

• Zhou Guanyu’s Emblematic Rise on the Formula 1 Fashion Scene (WWD). WWD profiled Zhou Guanyu, the first and only Chinese Formula 1 driver.

• Sportswear Is Set for an Epic Showdown in 2025 (BoF)

• How Luxury Watches Came to Embracing Formula One (Airmail)

Who We’re Following: 

• Kyle Smith, who was named the NFL’s first stylist  

• Molly Elizabeth Agnew, who joined Seasons Zine as Editor-at-Large

• Sara Germano, who is The Information’s first sports reporter and will be writing features about the business and future of sport with a focus on women’s sports 

Yours in sports & style,

SWG & DLM