Designer luxury sports equipment that is chic and sleek
Luxe brands including Chanel, Gucci, Lacoste, Aston Martin and Louis Vuitton offer a wide range of classy sporting apparel and hardware
The Olympics: that eagerly awaited test of international athletic prowess, the one time every four years you can feign interest in swimming or shot put and not face the jeers of your football-loving friends. But it’s one thing to be a spectator, and another to be a sportsman – all you stylish sorts out there fearing you’ll have to take the field in some high-street get-up, worry not. A range of age-old luxury brands are catering to your new physical needs.
Gucci gear
Luxury sports equipment is a fairly recent trend, and Gucci was arguably the first on the scene, debuting its head-turning surfboards back in 2001. Numerous imitators have followed in their wake, but the Italian brand has kept up with a consistently strong collection of sporting gear in the years since. Among the current collection, you’ll find a sleek pair of ski goggles, an urban bicycle and helmet in conjunction with luxury biking brand Bianchi.
gucci.com
Honma customised golf clubs
After more than 100 years, golf is finally making its triumphant return to the Olympic Games – and what better way to celebrate (and fool the missus) than by buying a new set of clubs? Japanese brand Honma is already famed for its arty clubs, but now you can get a personalised set ordinarily reserved for professionals. The service is currently only available in stores in Japan, Seoul and Shanghai, but expect Hong Kong to be next on the list.
honmagolf.com
Louis Vuitton America’s Cup collection
Yachting’s already associated with the upper crust, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your seafaring apparel to the next level, through the world’s biggest brand. Louis Vuitton has got into the yachting game, with a range of clothes created for this year’s America’s Cup including timeless polo shirts, boat shoes, sweaters and sunglasses, but glammed up in that classic LV style.
louisvuitton.com
Coach baseball collection
For decades, baseball was thought of as a working man’s sport: a tobacco-chewing, hard-drinking game or overweight men. But then something happened, and the luxury set embraced America’s pastime. Coach, already known for its luxurious use of leather, has branched out with a baseball collection – stylish gloves, balls and bats, all in retro-earthy tones.
coach.com
Aston Martin skis
Remember the opening scene in The Spy Who Loved Me, when Bond shoots his way through the Alps, falls off a cliff and pulls the ripcord on a Union Jack parachute at the last second? Now you can recreate Roger Moore’s moves in official style: the super-spy’s famous car brand Aston Martin has launched a set of skis made from aluminium, composites and carbon. They come in a range of sleek, colours, including Morning Frost White, Quantum Silver and Silver Blonde.
astonmartin.com
Lacoste sports equipment
Lacoste started out as a tennis gear label, but as its brand and prestige increased, so too did its luxury calling. But the label is getting back to basics of sorts, with a range of luxury sporting goods. The sleek collection is similar to Chanel’s, a monochromatic set that includes American footballs, soccer balls, surfboards and skis, a bicycle with crash helmet and even a boomerang.
lacoste.com
Berluti sports kit
Equipment for working out at home often lacks the prestige of regular sports equipment. But for those who want to train solo with a sense of style, French brand Berluti’s sports kit fits the bill. Featuring a range of dumbbells and a sleek skipping rope, each is made from classic Venezia leather and comes tastefully designed in classic earth tones.
berluti.com
Chanel sports collection
No matter the sport, French luxury brand Chanel has got you covered. Launched at the London 2012 Olympics, its sporting collection covers a diverse range of equipment, each emblazoned with the classic double-C. The collection includes footballs, basketballs, tennis and golf gear and rollerblading and snowboarding equipment.
chanel.com
