What’s a fashionista to do when she wants to look fabulous as possible while playing sports!? It’d be too risky to let your designer accessories tag along with you so you’ll just have to invest in some luxury sports gear. This is not a joke! Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and many more brands are making a luxurious entrance into the outdoor sports world. Luxury brands are turning sporty and we can’t get enough!
Back in 2009 Louis Vuitton came out with a skateboard. Only 3 of this unique product were available because the famous designer wanted to create a limited edition only for those who can afford spending $8,250 USD just for the satisfaction of having the Louis Vuitton signature on their favorite sport item.
It doesn’t stop there! Over the past few years, a few of the worlds most high-end brands have released the most chic two-wheeled accessories on the market. For the luxury cruiser chick: Chanel released a limited-edition quilted bike for their Sport Collection and It comes with a signature-quilted bike bag on the rear and a mega-comfy seat for easy riding. At $12,000 it’s pricey, but it’s Chanel, people. Hermes also appears serious about its new motto: “A sporting life!” The Paris-based luxury retailer has just unveiled a line of handmade bicycles that will rolled into their stores priced around $11,000 each. “We wanted to make a real bike that is easy to use,” says Francois Dore, managing director of Hermes’s Horizons department. If you’ve got 14 grand just burning a hole in your pocket then you are in luck. You can ride in the saddle of luxury aboard a Gucci branded Bianchi. And what does a $14,000 bicycle include? It features a 22-pound carbon fiber frame, eleven gears, hydraulic disc brakes, and double-sided pedals. These high-end bikes are the definition of riding in style.
If you happen to be interested in a high-end game of horse then you’re in luck. Your favorite french luxury fashion group has got you covered, on and off the basketball courts. Hermes, famed for its exclusive handbags and scarves, has created a $12,900 basketball to grace it’s renovated Los Angeles store.The blue calf leather ball is hand stitched and embossed with the house’s trademark “H” sign along with the inscription Beverly Hills. Robert Chavez, the company’s US chief executive said: “It can certainly be used for play – the leather is sturdy, and why not make such a unique item come to life on the court?” Mr Chavez added that the ball symbolises the sky, ocean and pools in LA.
Summer is upon us and what’s more fun than some time at the beach? I’ll tell you: time at the beach with a luxury surfboard. The Chanel surfboards are shaped in monochrome carbon fiber, polyurethane and fiberglass and are delivered with a Chanel signature traveling case. Who said surfing wasn’t chic? High-fashion luxury brands have long infiltrated the world of sports, yet this time, it’s not golf, tennis, or polo they’re after. Following in Chanel’s footsteps, Marc Jacobs and James Perse have all introduced their own line of luxury surfboards. While some collections offer just two styles and others enough to outfit a team, what these couture brands are showing is an interest in becoming a luxury sport brand, specifically for those who indulge in the beach lifestyle. I’m not comparing surf breaks to runways just yet, but if you’re a style-conscious surfer who wants to pull into perfect, double overhead barrels in style, these boards are for you.
Luxury retail is a cut throat game, and finding a new product category is a savvy way to get more sales out of the sector. Selling something like a bike or a skateboard is a lot easier than pitching a new satchel. These new luxurious sporting goods are unique and fabulous and we can’t get enough of it!
