An Australian influencer was shocked to discover the unique — and very expensive — way medals will be awarded to athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Claudia “Miss Double Bay” Bursill went into an Olympics-obsessed frenzy on Monday after discovering that the medals are stored in custom-made Louis Vuitton trunks and trays.
The historic French fashion house made medal trunks that open into substantial display cases with dozens of drawers, each holding three medals.
On her Instagram story, Bursill shared several moments from the Games, including a young medal bearer holding a tray containing the gold, silver and bronze medals.
“My favorite thing is the personalized Louis Vuitton medal trays,” she wrote.
More than 100 exclusive trunks from the haute couture brand have been auctioned off, with one of them, made in 1854, selling for €2,367,792 (A$4 million).
The Olympic and Paralympic flames travelled in a custom-made Louis Vuitton trunk thanks to a sponsorship deal with the brand’s owner, LVMH.
During the opening ceremony, images were shown of the transfer of the trunks to the Seine and the production of the athletes’ medals, which feature a hexagonal piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower embedded in each gold, silver and bronze medal.
Claudia “Miss Double Bay” Bursill (pictured) went into an Olympic-obsession frenzy on Monday after discovering the medals are stored in custom-made Louis Vuitton trays and trunks.
An Australian influencer was shocked to discover the unique — and very expensive — way medals will be awarded to athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The world’s largest luxury brand, known for its flower-shaped monograms and checkered handbags, unveiled the trunks in March at the workshops where they were made outside Paris.
Louis Vuitton has been making trophy trunks since 1988, increasing the French brand’s visibility by linking it to popular sporting events, such as last year’s Rugby World Cup held in France.
As part of its €150 million sponsorship deal with the Paris Olympics, several LVMH brands are involved in the Games, including Place Vendome jeweller Chaumet, which designed the medals, and luxury menswear brand Berluti, designer of the French team uniforms.
The 18-gram medals were designed by jeweller Chaumet and are surrounded by grooves evoking rays of light around the outside of the inner hexagonal structure.
The medals are kept in custom-made Louis Vuitton trays and trunks.
The Greek goddess of victory, Nike, also appears on the reverse of the medals, in a nod to the place where the Games began in Athens in 1896.
She is seen charging forward, with the Acropolis on one side and the Eiffel Tower on the other.
The Olympic Games began on July 26 and will run until April 11, followed by the Paralympic Games on August 28.
The athletes’ medals feature a hexagonal piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower embedded in each gold, silver and bronze medal.
The Olympic Games began on July 26 and will run until April 11, followed by the Paralympic Games on August 28.