Paris Gives the Summer Olympics a Luxury Feel — The First Designer Medals Ever and French Heritage Brands Going All In

Paris, Louis Vuitton, Moreau and the world’s greatest athletes make for quite the combination. Yes, the 2024 Summer Olympics set to begin in the City of Light on July 26 has inspired unexpected but not surprising nods to the competitions from several of Paris’ heritage brands.

Leading the pack are Louis Vuitton and Chaumet, both of LVMH which is creative partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Renowned Parisian jewelry maison Chaumet is the first jeweler in the history of the games to be tapped to design the medals.

In homage to the home of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Chaumet encrusted an authentic piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower, preserved during the renovation of the monument, in the center of each medal. C’est magnifique!

Louis Vuitton’s trunk-making heritage came into play with design of the beautifully crafted trays that hold the medals. Artisans at the Beaulieu-sur-Layon workshop, which specializes in leather goods, crafted the trays with an exterior covered by the maison’s historic Damier canvas, created in 1888, and the interior lined with matte black leather.

In addition Louis Vuitton designed the bespoke trunks that carried the Olympics torches from their landing in France at Marseille in early May all the way through their arrival in Paris on Sunday, Bastille Day. That design will be familiar to aficionados of the luxury brand as the exterior of the trunks is covered in Louis Vuitton’s Damier canvas and features the traditional brass protective corners and closures.

A Houston Exclusive

Moreau Paris, one of that city’s four historical monogram brands, has roots planted firmly in Houston’s River Oaks District where that particular store makes its own nod to the Olympics. The luxury maison’s Liberté Boston Tote exterior has been reimagined in a partnership with atelier Fait à Main with nine flowing lines of color that represent the colors of the five Olympics rings — blue, yellow, black, green and red.

The bag and there is only one is priced at $1,680 and is being sold exclusively at Moreau Paris-Houston in River Oaks District.

Booked for the Olympics

In June, Paris-based luxury book publisher Assouline released The Last Heroes: 100 Moments of Olympics Legend in celebration of the 2024 Summer Olympics. The coffee table book was written by French journalists Olivier Margot and Étienne Bonamy and captures the emotional and suspenseful scenes that make the games so riveting. Images included range from Jesse Owens’ triumph at the 1936 Berlin Games to Derek Redmond‘s inspiring finish with his father’s help in 1992.

The book is available in the classic edition and the special edition which features a custom-designed plaque of the inaugural modern Olympic Games medal.

An Olympic Watch

Swiss watchmaker Omega, which has been official timekeeper for the games since 1932, joins the party with a commemorative the Seamaster Olympic Games limited edition collection. The models come in the five colors of the signature rings of the Olympic Games. Only 2,032 versions of each model have been created, representing the year 2032, which will be Omega’s 100th year as official timekeeper. Bonus: The case back of each watch includes an anodized aluminum ring with host cities and dates from Los Angeles 1932 all the way to Los Angeles 2028.

For serious collectors, Omega has created a special limited edition set featuring five models in the Olympic rings colors.

All watches come in a special presentation box alongside a miniature last-lap bell, which has been crafted in the same Swiss foundry as the real Olympic bells.

Of note: Paris is the second city to host the Olympics three times — 1900, and 1924 and now 2024. It joins London, which hosted the Games in 1908, 1948 and 2012. Los Angeles is set to join the three time club when it hosts the 2028 Summer Games.