Louis Vuitton and Naomi Campbell unveil their contribution to the 2010 World Cup
The world is abuzz with talk of the 2010 FIFA World Cup starting in South Africa on June 11 and luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton plays a very special role in the lead up to the games – they created a specially-made travel case to hold football’s (or soccer’s, depending on what part of the world you are in) greatest prize, the FIFA World Cup Trophy.
The custom case is covered in Louis Vuitton’s iconic Monogram canvas and opens from the top to unveil the trophy and the dark brown lining that cushoons the 6.175kg trophy.
We all know the luxury that is a special-order Louis Vuitton case – the rule is that it must be a unique item that can travel and it is handmade entirely by a single master craftsman in Louis Vuitton’s historic Asnieres workshop near Paris. Each year around 450 special orders are completed and if you have to ask how much it will cost to get a custom-made case for a special item, the theory is you probably can not afford it.
“We are very proud to have been chosen by FIFA to create the case in which the world’s ultimate sporting prize will in future travel the globe,” says Antoine Arnault, Head of Communications for Louis Vuitton. “This exceptional commission truly honours Louis Vuitton’s 150- year tradition of craftsmanship and savoir-faire. We are also delighted to be part of the great festival of football that the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ promises to be, and to renew our ties with the host country South Africa, with which we have had for many years a very special relationship.”
Fashion and sport have always played a beautiful song together: Vera Wang and Evan Lysacek, David Beckham modeling for Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana dressing the Chinese Olympic football team and Natalia Vodianova as one of the faces of the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia, so it comes as no surprise that FIFA enlisted the services of Vuitton.
And why was Naomi Campbell on hand? Well as a former face of Vuitton and former lover of various sportsmen, it is fitting that she was the pretty face in the unveiling.
Are you looking forward to the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Who will you be supporting?
Image: © Mazen Saggar / LOUIS VUITTON
