PARIS – Fresh off his victory at Wimbledon, tennis player Carlo Alcaraz is serving up his first campaign as a Louis Vuitton ambassador.
Breaking Friday on Vuitton’s digital channels, the campaign sees the Spanish wunderkind in athletic poses — here a serve, there a forehand follow-through — while wearing tailored clothing and evening attire.
It’s an opportunity for the French luxury brand to speak to a sports-loving audience — and to remind consumers that its fashion offer extends to timeless business wear, modern tailoring and tuxedos, some with tonal jacquard thistle motifs.
The majority of fashion brands highlight runway designs in advertising campaigns, while Vuitton communicates on an array of product lines. This time its more formal men’s wardrobe for spring-summer 2024 gets the spotlight.
Photographer Dan Jackson captured Alcaraz at the Hôtel de Maisons, the 18th-century mansion on the Rue de l’Université in Paris that the late designer Karl Lagerfeld called home for more than 30 years.
A 21-page look book, dispatched with the press release about the Alcaraz campaign, depicts models in the same Rococo rooms as Alcaraz, but captured by photographer Thomas Lohr in static poses, and toting a range of leather goods, including portfolios, briefcases and backpacks.
“As an athlete, it is not every day we get to dress up, but there are special occasions and it feels good to show up looking and feeling great,” Alcaraz told WWD. “I think as I have grown up, I definitely have more appreciation for a well-tailored suit.”
The sportsman called working with a brand like Vuitton a “dream come true,” with the Jackson photo shoot a highlight so far.
Carlos Alcaraz strikes an athletic pose in the new Louis Vuitton campaign.
DAN JACKSON
Of all the outfits he donned for the campaign, “I think my favorite was the gray suit,” he said. “It made me feel ready for ‘business.’”
The collection Alcaraz wears, arriving in Vuitton boutiques on Aug. 31, was designed by the men’s studio. Pharrell Williams’ first collection as men’s artistic director at Vuitton was unveiled last June and is expected to land in stores next January.
“He’s an icon. Is there anything he can’t do?” Alcaraz enthused about Williams. “Like everyone else, I’m excited to see what he does at Louis Vuitton.”
Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in 2022, becoming the first man in history to top the tennis world rankings before the age of 20.
“It has been one hell of a journey,” he said, reflecting on the past year. “To be honest, it still feels like just yesterday we were here in New York, so crazy to think it was a year ago already. Looking forward to getting back out there in front of the New York crowd.”
To be sure, the young player has enthralled audiences with his explosive playing style, also claiming ATP 1000 titles in 2023 at Indian Wells and Madrid.
Alcaraz was the top men’s seed at the Wimbledon tournament last June when he defeated the four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.
The final Grand Slam tournament of the year, the U.S. Open tournament kicks off Monday and runs through Sept. 10 in at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City.
Vuitton has been signing up ambassadors at a steady pace this year, and beefing up with personalities from the sports world.
Last month, the brand signed French champion swimmer Léon Marchand, hot off the World Aquatics Championships in Japan, where he broke Michael Phelps’ last individual world record.
Other Vuitton ambassadors from the world of sports include tennis players Naomi Osaka and Wu Yibing; skier Eileen Gu; soccer player Sam Li; rugby player Dan Carter, and snowboarder Su Yiming.