Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka has many, many titles: Sports illustrated was elected athlete of the year. Forbes noticed that she is the highest paid female athlete of all time. AND Time The magazine made her one of the 100 most influential people. Today, the 23-year-old added global brand ambassador Louis Vuitton to the list.
The novelty broke out in the spring 2021 brand campaign, photographed by Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections. “Besides tennis, my biggest passion is fashion; and there is no brand more iconic than Louis Vuitton, ”said Osaka in a statement. “It is an honor to work with Nicolas – he is a designer that I admire a lot and we share a mutual love for Japanese culture and style. Becoming a global brand ambassador is really a dream come true for me. “
The title is suitable for Osaka and recognizes the potential power of fashion as activism. Off the court, she used fashion to honor her Japanese heritage with a fall 2020 fashion show at New York Fashion Week in collaboration with ADEAM, as well as her Haitian heritage in everyday looks. On the court, Osaka wore different face masks in each of his seven open games in the United States printed with the names of black men and women killed by the police or by guards: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castela and Tamir Rice.
But Osaka is letting this be a time to celebrate. “I bought an LV bag for my mom when I was 16 as a birthday present and it’s kind of a tradition ever since,” she said in Twitter and Instagram. “Do I call this a full circle moment?”