LVMH and Berluti Reveal Outfits for the French Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Opening Ceremonies
To celebrate the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Berluti, a member of the LVMH Group, has unveiled the official attire for Team France’s Opening Ceremony.
For the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as part of the partnership between LVMH and the European Union, Berluti brought together the expertise and craftsmanship of its artisans to ensure that French athletes look their best during the Opening Ceremonies on July 26 and August 28.
Berluti took on an athletic-scale challenge to help selected French athletes of Paris 2024 make an impact right from the starting line. In collaboration with the athletes, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, the Maison’s teams dedicated months of energy and creativity to designing an outfit that embodies true French elegance. Reinterpreting its signature stylistic codes—such as noble materials and patina effects—Berluti created a tuxedo-inspired look tailored to a wide range of body types.
During the Opening Ceremonies, French athletes and coaches will wear specially designed Berluti tuxedos and shoes, created to commemorate this unique moment—symbolizing their selection to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a significant achievement for every athlete.
This summer, Berluti’s artisans will focus on a meaningful goal: showcasing both the Maison’s savoir-faire and France’s athletes to the world.
I. Berluti: A Unique French Maison
Balancing exceptional classics with technical virtuosity, Maison Berluti has always remained true to its character. Its story began in 1895, when a 30-year-old Italian arrived in Paris to practice his craft as a master shoemaker. His first model, a lace-up court shoe inspired by his own name, was called Alessandro—while the Maison would go on to bear his surname, Berluti.
Over the generations, this French Maison has continued to refine its extraordinary expertise, mastering form, leather craftsmanship, and patina to create models of unparalleled elegance and comfort. Since its founding, Berluti has crafted shoes for distinguished gentlemen such as Jean Cocteau, Andy Warhol, and Marcello Mastroianni. Its boutiques have welcomed a devoted clientele drawn to the timeless elegance of its exceptional shoes—each one a true work of art.
Much more than a prestigious shoemaker, Berluti has become a timeless signature of a certain art of living. Naturally, it began exploring new avenues of expression—leather goods in 2005 and ready-to-wear in 2011. Constantly evolving to remain a benchmark of masculine elegance, Berluti also offers a unique, made-to-measure service through its Paris workshops on Rue Marbeuf and Rue de Sèvres, delivering bespoke tailoring experiences to its clientele.
Today, by designing and producing the Team France outfits for both Paris 2024 Opening Ceremonies, Berluti once again proves its boldness and creativity. This style exercise also marks a series of historic firsts for the Maison—including the creation of garments for women and participation in an event of such extraordinary scale.
II. Dressing Team France: A Very Special Order
Berluti requested the efforts of each of its expert artisans to create 1,500 outfits for Team France. The Maison will outfit every member of the team from head to toe for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including tuxedos, shirts, belts, scarves or pocket squares, and shoes. The entire team will receive their outfits presented in a specially created bag.
These outfits were designed in France and produced in Italy using fabrics sourced exclusively from Europe, in the ateliers that traditionally create the Maison’s collections. All garments meet Berluti’s rigorous standards of quality and finish.
Naturally, the outfits also had to meet specific requirements to suit the athletes and the event. Berluti designed and produced the garments in a wide range of sizes, from 3XS to 6XL for clothing and sizes 1 to 22 for shoes, ensuring a perfect fit for each athlete. In doing so, the Maison expanded its standard size chart to offer all 14 sizes needed by the members of Team France.
III. “Elegance à la Française” for Team France
To celebrate the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Berluti, a member of the LVMH Group, has unveiled the official attire for Team France’s Opening Ceremony. The tuxedo, tailored in an elegant midnight blue wool, features a shawl collar with a unique motif inspired by a reimagined French flag patina—a nod to Berluti’s signature craftsmanship, created specifically in blue and red tones to pay tribute to the Maison’s heritage. For female athletes, the iconic jacket is also available in a sleeveless version.
The look is completed with a white cotton-silk shirt—long-sleeved for men and sleeveless for women.
Women athletes can choose between embroidered trousers or a refined silk wrap skirt.
Footwear for male athletes consists of Berluti’s iconic Shadow sneakers, reinterpreted in French national colors. Female athletes and coaches will wear either the Shadow sneaker or the Maison’s supple Lorenzo leather loafers.
Key Figures Behind the Project:
Over 180 people contributed to the project
More than 1,500 complete outfits were created for the French team
The project used over 26,000 ft of fabric and more than 60 miles of stitching—greater than the length of two marathons
Footwear design involved over 300 3D prototypes, with 2 final models selected. A single pair of Shadow sneakers features approximately 384,000 stitches. All Shadow sneakers worn by Team France include 1.2 miles of shoelaces. Sizing ranges from 1 to 22
Antoine Arnault – LVMH Image and Environment:
“Following the unveiling of the Olympic medals by Maison Chaumet and the medal and torch trunks by Louis Vuitton, we are proud to reveal the outfits designed by Berluti for the French athletes and coaches at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremonies. These garments reflect Berluti’s full mastery and creativity, and I am certain they will help our athletes shine under the eyes of the world. It’s truly exciting to stand alongside them at such a meaningful moment in their lives.”
Jean-Marc Mansvelt – CEO of Berluti:
“Berluti was honored with the extraordinary opportunity to shape the image of Team France for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremonies. I am proud of the outcome of this creative collaboration between our artisans, French athletes, and the teams led by Tony Estanguet, Marie-Amélie Le Fur, and David Lappartient. Our aim was to honor French elegance and serve our athletes and coaches with a garment worthy of this historic moment. I believe we succeeded.”
Carine Roitfeld – Fashion Consultant & Stylist:
“This was truly an unprecedented project for me: dressing 1,500 athletes for a global event! I had to find a way to blend comfort with elegance in a design worthy of this milestone. I immediately turned to a classic French tuxedo, complete with a Berluti patina shawl collar in French national colors. On the big day, all eyes will be on the athletes and coaches—I hope they feel confident and proud. I certainly am.”
Tony Estanguet – President of Paris 2024:
“A hundred years after France last hosted the Summer Olympic Games, and with just 100 days to go before Paris 2024, we are thrilled and proud to welcome the world. As our athletes prepare to compete on home soil, they will have the honor of wearing Berluti’s designs during the Opening Ceremonies. As part of the LVMH Group, Berluti fully embodies French prestige and excellence. With these exceptional garments, we aim to showcase the very best of our nation for this unforgettable celebration.”
