PARIS — When Real Madrid heads to Rome for its Champions League game against Roma on Wednesday, its players will be sporting a fresh travel kit.
Louis Vuitton has revamped the formalwear and travel creations for the men’s soccer team as it enters the second year of its partnership with the Spanish club, which also covers women’s soccer and men’s basketball.
Players including Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde wear a wardrobe designed by Pharrell Williams, creative director of menswear at Vuitton, for major travel and events.
The latest items in the line are inspired by the Trunk Edition men’s capsule collection launched last February, while leather goods nod to the 130th anniversary celebrations of the brand’s signature Monogram.
Additions to the travel wardrobe include a reversible nylon jacket with a Monogram lining, an embroidered Real Madrid crest at the front, and a personalized inside label bearing both the Real Madrid and Louis Vuitton signatures. A navy blue crew neck sweater, beige polo shirt, reversible belt and navy blue cap complement the look.
On the formalwear front, the traditional suit remains unchanged but can be updated with a choice between a new blue-and-white striped shirt, or the beige polo. A cashmere coat from the permanent Louis Vuitton collection, featuring a removable scarf in Monogram and the player’s initials inside, completes the formal ensemble.
While items from the collection won’t be available for purchase, clients can buy pieces like the Keepall and Horizon in store and personalize them via the Mon Monogram service, potentially adding the club’s colors or initials.
Launched last year, Louis Vuitton’s multiyear partnership with Real Madrid marked yet another high-profile sports deal for the world’s biggest luxury brand, which is active in disciplines ranging from sailing to Formula 1.
“It’s football royalty meets luxury royalty,” Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton, told WWD at the time. The French fashion house had previously signed Bellingham as a brand ambassador.
Vuitton succeeded Zegna as the team’s official off-field outfitter, and has partnered with FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, since 2010 to create the trunk for the World Cup winner’s trophy. Real Madrid’s jerseys are designed by Adidas.
Soccer holds a special place for the Arnault family, which controls LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the conglomerate that owns Vuitton alongside brands including Dior, Tiffany & Co., Moët & Chandon and Sephora. Its holding group Agache in 2024 acquired a majority stake in Paris FC, which subsequently vaulted back into France’s first division after almost half a century in the second tier.
The French national team’s new coach Zinedine Zidane recently banned media from covering player arrivals at its training camp in Clairefontaine, quashing a ritual that had turned into the soccer equivalent of the NBA tunnel walk, with players using the photo op as a showcase for their personal style and brand partnerships.
