The Paris Olympics are approaching: an event so monumental that it makes fitness the real theme of summer 2024 and becomes a staple for several brands, especially those of LVMH, which is an official partner of the Olympics. And if Pharrell Williams dedicates a show to the Olympic spirit for Louis Vuitton, and Maria Grazia Chiuri signs a haute couture collection for Dior that oscillates between the Nike of Samothrace and luxury sportswear, Hedi Slimane at Celine has something else in mind – specifically pilates. Presented last week with a campaign shot in Malibu back in December, the Celine Pilates collection includes some branded gym equipment that, between press days for the media and reposts on themed pages, have already gone almost viral: a reformer completely covered in the Triomphe pattern, kettlebells and weights with leather inserts, wrist weights, yoga mats and tiles, and of course gym outfits, headbands, hair clips, and the indispensable leather duffel bag. Balenciaga had also elevated pilates to the honors of the runway with its show in Los Angeles, also full of gym towels, yoga mats, leggings, and everything that can evoke the padded world of Forma Pilates, the Eldorado of luxury gyms in Los Angeles and New York at a hundred dollars per session loved by Kendall Jenner. But the fashion industry’s interest in fitness doesn’t stop at the gym, extending to the entire world of resort sports and home fitness.
Recently, Balenciaga has expanded its existing Objects collection with the “Summer Objects” capsule, which includes all-black branded versions of classic beach afternoon essentials like beach rackets, a set of bocce balls, beach volleyball balls, skimboards (Celine also sells surfboards and skateboards), while just today Gucci has presented an entire collection dedicated to tennis that will enrich its already existing collection dedicated to skateboarding. Loewe has created a capsule for running together with On, while Prada has long had a collection dedicated to sports equipment and accessories ranging from bocce to snowboarding, and of course tennis, skipping ropes, weightlifting, and so forth. Dior, in addition to the classic pilates mat, also offers ping pong sets and especially two training sets with wooden dumbbells priced at six thousand euros each. For Louis Vuitton the game is even more advanced: there are golf bags costing twenty thousand euros, billiard and ping pong tables, and even foosball tables as well as surfboards, skis, snowboards, and small accessories like golf towels.
All these collections, and even those not mentioned, share a specific target audience for (if you’ll pardon the expression) “sports for the rich,” to be practiced in all those enclaves for millionaires that can range from country clubs to branded private housing and private gyms in cities like Los Angeles, and of course all the conceivable five-star resorts where businessmen go jogging before connecting on Zoom with the board of directors. When you think about the fitness routines of the rich and famous, people like Richard Branson and Mark Cuban, but also Tim Cook who goes to the gym at four in the morning, or Oprah with her 10,000 steps a day, the world of billionaires is moving away from the image of the rich epicurean who eats at the four winds, entering a cushioned dimension where health, fitness, and wellness become a luxury for a few.