Formula 1 has always flirted with fashion, whether it was the success of Benetton in the ’90s or the impact of Lewis Hamilton’s outfits turning heads in the paddock.
Now they are in a committed relationship, after Louis Vuitton signed a 10-year deal with F1 worth millions, and top brands Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss brokered deals to become primary sponsors of the Cadillac and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Teams, respectively.
It comes after the luxury fashion market has seen a decline in the last few years. According to a report by analysts Bain & Co, the industry lost 50 million customers between 2022 and 2024, with that downward trend continuing into 2025.
F1 is seen as the perfect fit for fashion brands to win back their customers, chasing the younger and more diverse audiences it has to offer.
Fashion’s latest obsession
A report from insights brand building specialists Karla Otto placed F1 as the second fastest-growing sport contributing to the Earned Media Value (EMV) of fashion brands at 35%. In other words, the big marketing budgets provide a return on investment.
With the success of an Oscar-nominated movie starring Brad Pitt and the Drive to Survive documentary series, fashion brands have realised that F1’s influence extends far beyond the track.
Benjamin Voyer, Cartier Chaired Professor of Behavioural Science, believes the intersection between high performance and perfection perfectly ties into what these big names are trying to sell.
“F1 has devoted fans. Brands – luxury especially – care a lot about loyalty, and being associated with a sport that has loyal fans is important for brands,” Voyer told Sector.
“The sport is also associated with excellence, competition, and technology. These values represent a good match for luxury, which is about perfection, craftsmanship, and status.”
Building desirability
Tommy Hilfiger has been a big player in this market for years, having sponsored Mercedes at the height of their dominance before marrying its luxury Americana image with car giant Cadillac.
More recently, Hilfiger has capitalised on the F1 movie by releasing exclusive and very limited merchandise. It’s a simple equation: luxury products must be desirable and attainable by the few. But even this can carry some risks.
“When done well, this type of strategy allows a brand to extend the reach of its desirability,” explains Voyer.
“A risk would only occur if price points vary too much or the quality of items offered is markedly different and not aligned with the brand’s core products and offerings.”
A 2025 survey from F1 revealed that 33% of viewers are more likely to consider a sponsor’s product over a non-sponsor. That increases to 40% among Gen-Z audiences and 50% to audiences in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing real and tangible business growth.
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday
It’s why F1 offers the perfect combination for fashion brands: visibility on a global scale to over 800 million fans, emotional connection, and aspirational storytelling.
The drivers are the stars and part of the cultural phenomenon, with the paddock turned into a runway that showcases the personal styles of drivers, including Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
A similar shift has been seen in football over the years. Once seen as too populist and working class, luxury brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Burberry have partnered with Arsenal and Liverpool football clubs.
Hilfiger recently dressed up Liverpool FC players, transforming their arrival into the Anfield grounds into a runway that showcases the personal styles of the current champions.
These labels are tapping into that customer base that has an increased allegiance to their teams, buying into the ‘Win on Sunday, then sell on Monday’ mantra, according to Voyer.
“Consumers are sensitive to status markers, and victory in sport is a form of status marker – if you wear the brands associated with it.
“Social psychologists have coined the term BIRGING (basking in reflected glory) to refer to the behaviours of associations and pride in displaying a team logo following a victory.
“Conversely, individuals can engage in CORFING (cutting off reflected failure) when their team loses and refrain from wearing branded items.”
It shows how fans are looking for something more than a quick collaboration that makes use of trends. The brands that contribute to the overall team narrative and genuinely connect to the community will be the ones in pole position.
