Accelerating their earning potential outside of racing, Dan Ahwa takes a closer look at why these new stars are playing the long game right when it comes to their passion for fashion.
Much like tunnel fashion is for NFL players, in the elite world of Formula One, the grid
As further proof of this, last week the world’s biggest luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) and Formula One announced a 10-year sponsorship agreement that will further cement the Formula One as one of the most stylish sporting events on the planet.
Having already dominated the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games this year along with the current title partnership for the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault announced his commitment to Formula One in a deal that could be worth close to USD$1 billion ($1.63 billion $NZD).
“As Formula One continues its global growth, attracting new and more diverse audiences, the strength and breadth of LVMH makes it the perfect partner for us to work with as we look to continually enhance the experience of our fans and the heritage of our incredible sport” said Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in an official statement.
While the concept of sport and fashion has been well documented, the glamour factor is hard to ignore in the world of Formula One.
The circuits alone take place in some of the most moneyed towns on the planet - including the glitz of Miami and Las Vegas to the sport’s blue ribbon showcase of the Circuit de Monaco. Despite the impracticality of the course, the tiny principality on the French Riviera offers the perfect backdrop for luxury: superyachts, good-looking people watching and some of the world’s best F1 cars in all their glory.
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Advertise with NZME.It’s now not unusual to see the likes of Lewis Hamilton slinking past in a silk Dior Homme set designed by Kim Jones, as he did in June at the Austrian Grand Prix. In fact, the seven-time Formula One world champion is expanding his already extensive fashion repertoire (Hamilton also has a side hustle with his brand +44 along with previous collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger) with the launch next week of his collaboration with Dior.
Centered around his unique take on fashion, the lifestyle capsule collection includes two co-designed sneakers and casual separates utilising sustainably produced fabrics from Burkina Faso. But Hamilton has written the playbook for many years when it comes to his fashion, and his influence is now making an impact on an entirely new generation of F1 stars.
For 26-year-old Monegasque racing driver Charles Leclerc, a natural affinity for design is manifested in his personal style too, with Ferrari’s star driver known for sporting a wardrobe of baggy printed jeans, including a distinctive pair of tie-dye skater jeans from Californian brand Nahmias where a pair of custom baggy jeans can cost between $1600 for a basic pair of baggy jeans to $3000 for a pair embellished with hand-sewn beaded patches.
Much like his predecessor and teammate Hamilton, Leclerc has a keen eye for design and collaboration, including teaming up on a lucrative jewellery collection with Monte-Carlo-based jeweller APM and a limited-edition collection of sunglasses with Ray-Ban. In 2020, he announced his ambassadorial duties for Italian luxury brand Giorgio Armani and its suite of made-to-measure collections.
For fellow Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr, the 30-year-old has also dipped his feet into fashion, appearing alongside Leclerc in a Ferrari campaign focused on the Italian brand’s ready-to-wear line along with exclusive fashion editorial for GQ and influential men’s fashion and lifestyle publication Icon.
Another emerging Formula One driver with style is British driver George Russell, who made a particular impact in August on the Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands by wearing a full Tommy Hilfiger outfit of a wool coat, cashmere cable knit jumper, and pleated trousers. Where Hamilton and Leclerc veer toward runway fashion, Russell sticks to more contemporary takes on classic British dressing.
The 26-year-old Mercedes driver was enlisted by Tommy Hilfiger in January as an ambassador and continues to tap into an “old money” aesthetic with another capsule collaboration with British heritage brand Belstaff.
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Advertise with NZME.Featuring an exclusive curation of outerwear made with high-shine recycled nylon, shearling and technical down, the combination of preppy and utility is another way sports stars can cultivate an image or brand that reaches audiences outside of the racing bubble.
24-year-old McLaren driver Lando Norris is another standout off-duty dresser, teaming up with luxury lifestyle brand Tumi as an ambassador. This week, the Singapore Grand Prix winner launched his limited edition “Turin” collection with the brand consisting of seven distinct styles, including backpacks, totes, and small leather goods made from premium Italian leather.
Combining casual with formal, Norris’ style is a mix of high and low - not exclusively wearing a full Louis Vuitton runway look like Hamilton, but not entirely casual either, with a preference for elevated streetwear brands of the moment such as Aime Leon Dore.
In a recent survey of the @stylesoflandonorris - just one of the many F1 style fan accounts dedicated to the racing star, Norris’ style is one that is in keeping with the general concept of a guy in his early 20s experimenting with his fashion. From a cheap and cheerful crochet short set from high street brand The Couture Club to a parade of colourful hoodies, Norris’ style is one that’s not too intimidating to replicate and at a more accessible price point for fans.
On the other end of the scale, for fashion that’s a little less intimidating, 26-year-old Dutch and Belgian driver Max Verstappen who is currently competing for Red Bull Racing, has cultivated a style that has a certain mass appeal, earmarked by his collaboration with Dutch denim behemoth G-Star Raw. Featuring a line of specially curated denim separates and limited-edition styles, Verstappen has grown up with the brand making it a natural partnership.
“I’ve always been a fan of the brand” he explains via G-Star’s website. “So it was very easy to get on board with the G-Star brand DNA. Also, I really like that we’re both always looking for ways to push ourselves to improve.”
While fashion serves as an opportunity and side hustle for many of these famous drivers, 22-year-old New Zealander Liam Lawson is already staking a claim in the style arena. The Red Bull reserve driver recently stepped into the vacant spot left by fired Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo (whose own fashion brand Enchante; is another favourite amongst the driving fraternity), finishing the season with subsidiary team, Racing Bulls.
Despite the awkward mid-season change for the team, Lawson is already tapping into opportunities in fashion, collaborating this year with two New Zealand brands - family business Partridge Jewellers (which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year) and outdoor specialist Kathmandu.
It’s a classic formula of tapping into three key categories for these sports stars: a high-fashion heritage brand, a mass technical appeal specialist and a jewellery brand.
With Netflix’s Drive to Survive continuing to reach new and engaged audiences, Formula One drivers are maximising their potential in a way that perhaps isn’t fully realised by sports stars of other elite sports such as sailing and equestrianism. Here, the drivers and their agents have seen the potential to work with fashion and luxury to elevate the sport to another level.
Prior to Ricciardo’s departure, he spoke about fashion’s connection to the sport with the unveiling of a unique collaboration with German fashion brand Hugo Boss - the F1′s first fashion-inspired denim livery which debuted during the recent Singapore Grand Prix. “We’ve seen fashion brands collaborate with F1 teams before,” he explained to the press at the time “but the idea of a denim livery on the car takes it to another level. This collaboration will show fashion houses that there’s more room to explore in motorsport, and I’m excited to see where this leads.”
Working with both Ricciardo and fellow Red Bull racer, 24-year-old Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, the brand dressed them in Hugo racing suits and apparel throughout that weekend marking another strategic fashion partnership with the sport.
But when you’re young, talented, handsome and rich, why wouldn’t you want to put the pedal to the metal and maximise these opportunities to their full potential?
It’s a question now of how fast they want to go.
The next Formula 1 Grand Prix begins on 20 October in Austin, Texas.
Dan Ahwa is Viva’s fashion and creative director and a senior premium lifestyle journalist for the New Zealand Herald, specialising in the intersections of style, luxury, art and culture.
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