[ad_1]
As you would expect from any event hosted in Paris, the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are set to be a very chic affair indeed thanks in part to the event’s biggest local sponsor, LVMH.
In 2023 the luxury group was named as premium partner of the Games in a deal reportedly valued at $160 million. Now the business has offered up a taste of what the sponsorship will look like with the unveiling of the official Paris 2024 medals.
The awards were crafted by LVMH-owned luxury jeweler Chaumet, with medals forged using original iron from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The design pays tribute to the French capital “while echoing the creative codes” of Chaumet, according to LVMH.
The big reveal is the first material glimpse LVMH has given of what its Olympic sponsorship will look like. The world’s largest maker of luxury goods will be calling on each of its “maisons” (design houses) to apply their creative talent to different elements of the event.
Its beauty retailer, Sephora, will help facilitate the Olympic torch relay, while Champagne label Moët Hennessy will supply hospitality venues. Another of its brands, Berluti, will dress French athletes.
Antoine Arnault, LVMH head of image and environment, said the medals were emblematic of LVMH’s role as creative partner to the Games.
“In a close creative dialogue between Paris 2024 and Chaumet, the artisans of the maison delved into their archives and explored powerful symbols of Olympism to imagine a medal inspired by high jewelry creations,” she said.
“Building on its centuries of rich history, Chaumet is writing a new page that will remain engraved in the heritage of the maison for eternity.”
Designing a winner
Chaumet is the first jeweler in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to have designed the medal. It’s not typical for a sponsor to do so, and the final decision ultimately lies with the Organizing Committee.
For Tokyo 2020, homegrown designer Junichi Kawanishi was picked for the honor, while Rio 2016’s medals were sustainably planned by Chelles & Hayashi Design.
This time around, Chaumet wanted to bind together heritage, sports and jewelry-making during the process, and it was inspired by three themes: a hexagon shape (in reference to the shape of France), radiance (noting Paris’ reputation as the City of Lights) and setting (using a claw type typically associated with diamonds). It worked with French athletes to inform its creative choices throughout.
Unlike in previous years, both the Olympic and Paralympic medals share one face, showing the Olympic flame and rings. In a statement announcing the designs, Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said this decision represented a “coming together” of the two events.
