On Wednesday March 27, Louis Vuitton revealed to the press the trunks in which the Olympic and Paralympic medals and torches will travel. Although the LVMH Group company did not specify the exact number of trunks, they could well be the stars of the opening ceremonies starting on July 26.
Anchored in the world of competitions through the manufacture of sports trunks, from soccer to rugby to e-sport, Louis Vuitton has just added the Olympic and Paralympic Games to its portfolio.
The trunk-maker has just unveiled to an audience of journalists at its workshops in the Paris region, the transport trunks that will protect the precious symbols and awards of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, namely the torches and medals of the Paris 2024 competition.
A good way for Louis Vuitton to reinforce, at home, its notoriety and proximity to the world of sport but also to its most fervent supporters from all over the world.
A continuing link with sport
Straight from its historic workshops in Asnières (Paris grande couronne), the trunks carrying the Olympic and Paralympic trophies were presented to the press at their place of manufacture at 18 rue Louis Vuitton in Asnières (Hauts-de-Seine). This address, which opens its doors exclusively for the Journées Particulières, is renowned for producing some 450 special orders every year.
The event took place in the presence of Bernard Arnault, Chairman of the LVMH Group, Pietro Beccari, President of Louis Vuitton, Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee, and Enzo Lefort, Olympic foil champion and ambassador for the Maison.
Pietro Beccari, President of Louis Vuitton and Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee, posing in front of the Louis Vuitton Medal Trunk dedicated to paralympic medals © Stéphane Feugère/LVMH
In the midst of sports relics and mail trunks, the LVMH Group’s powerhouse presented its trophy trunks, truly exceptional pieces of leather goods. Embodying the art of travel, Louis Vuitton presented two models of trunks reminiscent of the House’s cardinal values of high quality and innovation since 1854.
These XXL “wardrobe” trunks, marketed by Gaston Louis Vuitton as early as 1875, were designed to be opened vertically while meeting the specifications of the American Railroad Company.
Made-to-measure for aristocrats and then the wealthy, they were adapted for sports competitions at the end of the 2010s (trophy trunks) to protect and present the various cups of the world’s greatest competitions (FIFA World Cup, America’s Cup, Davis Cup, Rugby World Cup, etc.). The meticulous, multi-step process required almost 150 hours of work, for a unit price of around 45,000 euros!
The trunk dedicated to the medals for the 2024 Olympic Games is a masterpiece of ingenuity: 16 poplar drawers in each case and 30 in the central part. The case holds and protects 468 medals made by Chaumet, also owned by the LVMH group. The interior is trimmed in black leather to protect against scratches, while the exterior features the emblematic monogrammed coated canvas.
Louis Vuitton Medal Trunk dedicated to olympic medals, details © Stéphane Feugère/LVMH
The second trunk model is dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic torches, which have been crafted in chrome-plated steel by master craftsman Mathieu Lehanneur. The exterior features another of the trunk-maker’s signature motifs, the checkerboard canvas. The general public will be able to contemplate the Olympic flame as it passes through the relay, then in the heart of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.
Although the number of trunks produced for the Olympic and Paralympic Games has not been revealed, our colleagues at L’Équipe newspaper have concluded that there should be at least two trunks dedicated to the flames and two trunks dedicated to the medals.
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Read also > JO 2024: THE MEDALS UNVEILED BY LVMH
Featured Photo: © Louis Vuitton
