LVMH's Berluti to Design Olympics Opening Ceremony Uniforms for French Teams

FILE PHOTO: The new logo of Paris 2024 Olympics is seen on a pin during a ceremony in Paris, France, October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The new logo of Paris 2024 Olympics is seen on a pin during a ceremony in Paris, France, October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo
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LVMH's Berluti to Design Olympics Opening Ceremony Uniforms for French Teams

FILE PHOTO: The new logo of Paris 2024 Olympics is seen on a pin during a ceremony in Paris, France, October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The new logo of Paris 2024 Olympics is seen on a pin during a ceremony in Paris, France, October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

Luxury giant LVMH's Berluti brand will design the summer Olympics and Paralympics opening ceremony uniforms for the French teams, boosting the profile of the upscale menswear label known for buffed leather shoes and tailored suits.

"We aim to marry elegance and performance," said Berluti chief executive Antoine Arnault, one of the five children and heirs of LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault.

Antoine is credited with negotiating LVMH's 150 million euros ($166 million) worth Olympics sponsorship deal initially announced in July, Reuters reported.

The Olympic games kick off on July 26, followed by the Paralympics on August 28 -- high profile ceremonies that are watched by millions of people across the world.

Paris, which has hosted two previous Olympics, will stage the summer Games after 100 years. The event is expected to draw huge spectator, TV and streaming audiences after the 2020 Games in Tokyo were marred by the pandemic.



Hermes 2Q Sales Rise 13% on Continued Appetite for High-End Luxury

People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Hermes 2Q Sales Rise 13% on Continued Appetite for High-End Luxury

People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Birkin-bag maker Hermes reported a 13% rise in second-quarter sales on Thursday, demonstrating the continued appetite from wealthy shoppers for its luxury handbags, even as less affluent consumers pull back.

Sales at the French luxury group grew to 3.7 billion euros ($4.02 billion), a 13% organic sales rise that strips out currency fluctuations. The figure was in line with analyst expectations, according to a Visible Alpha consensus.

Operating profit for the first half was 3.1 billion euros, compared to a forecast from consensus provider Visible Alpha for 3.2 billion.

One of the most steady performers in the luxury goods sector -- even as economic conditions worsen -- the French group's results stand out after a string of disappointing earnings updates from peers which have raised investor concern about uncertain prospects for the sector in the coming months.

Hermes' famously classic designs and tight management of production and stock have helped reinforce the label's aura of exclusivity, and CEO Axel Dumas told reporters the company had seen "no big interruption in trends".

However, he said Hermes was seeing slightly less traffic with aspirational clients, which was impacting higher volume products like fashion accessories.