OLYMPICS: Winter Games in Italy attract luxury brands seeking global stage

The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are drawing attention from top luxury brands, as Italy’s fashion capital and the exclusive Alpine destination prepare to welcome wealthy tourists from around the world and attract a massive broadcast audience.

Luxury companies are opening boutiques at Olympic venues, dressing national teams, and launching small “capsule collections” inspired by winter sports, using the Games as a platform to showcase their products.

“Luxury brands have been gravitating toward the world of sports for quite some time now. With the Winter Olympics, a new opportunity arises to further cement this connection,” said Emanuela Prandelli, associate professor of Fashion & Luxury Management at Milan’s Bocconi University. She noted that affluent consumers are increasingly prioritizing unique experiences over traditional luxury goods.

“The goal is to reach a broader audience brought together by the values of sport and the glamour of the event, inspiring aspirational clientele while giving established luxury customers new reasons for desire,” she added.

Armani’s sport line, EA7, which has been the official technical outfitter of Italy’s Winter Sports Federation (FISI) since 2022, will partner at the Winter Olympics and continue outfitting the Italian team. Top Alpine skier Sofia Goggia serves as the brand’s ambassador.

Ralph Lauren, the official designer for the U.S. Olympic team since 2008, will also dress the American athletes at the Games.

The Winter Olympics run from February 6–22.

New Stores Along Cortina’s Corso Italia

For Moncler, the Winter Games mark a major return after almost six decades. The Italian outerwear brand, which first supplied mountain gear for the Grenoble Olympics in 1968, will sponsor the Brazilian Olympic Committee for the opening and closing ceremonies and serve as technical sponsor for Brazil’s Alpine ski team. Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is among Moncler’s ambassadors.

“Luxury is increasingly treating the Olympics as a cultural mega-platform where ‘savoir-faire’ can be showcased globally, especially when the host city aligns with brand heritage,” said fashion expert Noemie Voyer of Luxurynsight. She cited LVMH’s partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympics as a similar example.

This strategy is playing out in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a Dolomite resort town popular with affluent tourists since hosting the Winter Games in 1956. Luxury brands are racing to open or refurbish boutiques in the area, which has just over 5,000 permanent residents.

Prada and Loro Piana have opened new stores on Cortina’s main shopping street, Corso Italia, while Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Swatch have renovated their retail spaces. Historic multi-brand boutique Franz Kraler has also completed major upgrades ahead of the Olympic influx.

-Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; Editing by Keith Weir/Reuters