It is not surprising that this turned out to be a fashionable meet, and that LVMH came up tops

Yesult singing the finale song of the closing ceremony in Dior

For the final songs of both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris Games, Dior couture was in the spotlight. Three weeks ago, Canadian singer Celine Dion was Dior-ed to the hilt for the opening ceremony. Last Sunday, when the Games came to the official close, mononymous French songstress Yseult (Marie Onguenet), too, was outfitted by Dior (not to mention many other performers encased by Dior or LVMH brands). Singing My Way at the Sade de France, she wore an all-black outfit that presumably was a nod to the New Look (although it is doubtful Mr Dior would have approved of the hideous belt). She appeared, covered with too much fabric—no idea why she needed leather gloves in the middle of summer or a saucer of a hat under moonlight. This was not the first time Yseult was in Dior for a very public event. Back in May, she too appeared in a Dior that was also homage to the New Look on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival.

Many of us already knew that LVMH, owner of Dior, committed a lot to sponsor this year’s Olympics as a “premium partner”, and to be so prominently featured. BOF reported that the amount was US$175 million (or about S$231 million). Even the medals were made by the LVMH-owned jeweller Chaumet. And let’s not talk about product placements and that blatant video in the opening ceremony showing an LV trunk-making workshop. It really could have been the LVMH Games. According to Relo Metrics, touted as a “sports marketing measurement company”, LVMH won “social media gold” at the Paris Olympics (but we already knew), helped by Team France, which enjoyed an “overwhelming number of fans on TikTok”. LVMH reportedly scored high on social media exposure, which during the Games season, generated 17 times more value than what they typically would have gained on social media in a year. The Relo Metrics figure offered did not break down the luxury group’s exposure by brand, but it is not unreasonable to assume that Dior has been especially victorious.

Second position is held by Ralph Lauren, augmented by the preppy, but not necessarily flattering (or even contemporary-looking) uniforms worn by Team USA for the opening ceremony. The brand’s visibility was amplified when Billie Eilish wore an oversized Polo Ralph Lauren polo shirt while performing her now No 1 song Birds of a Feather in Los Angeles for the closing ceremony. It was not a fashion moment for her, but it sure helped Ralph Lauren score silver for their social media exposure. In third place is Lululemon, the brand that is behind Team Canada’s ho-hum opening ceremony and competition looks. The Olympics is considered a level playing field, but looking at the top three winners, in the fashion stakes, it is not quite so. Not a “premium partner”, Lululemon would not score the top position. Even when doping is not allowed in any game, financial doping is permissible among brands competing for visibility in what has become a highly commercialised Olympics. It pays to pay.

Screen shots: mediacorp/YouTube