Naomi Osaka has been named the newest brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.
The 23-year-old Japanese tennis champion will appear in the French luxury brand’s spring-summer 2021 campaign photographed by Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of women’s collections, Nicolas Ghesquière. This announcement comes after a wildly successful year for Osaka who was named “Athlete of the Year” by the Associated Press for winning the 2020 Open and for her activism, namely, speaking out about racial injustice and police brutality (she famously wore face masks emblazoned with the names of Black people killed by police officers, including Trayvon Martin, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and more during the US Open).
“Naomi is an exceptional woman who represents her generation and is also a role model for everyone,” Ghesquière said in a statement. “Her career and convictions are inspiring. I am in awe of Naomi, she stays true to herself and doesn’t compromise on her values.”
“Aside from tennis, my most treasured passion is fashion; and there is no brand more iconic than Louis Vuitton,” Osaka said. “It is such an honor to work with Nicolas—he’s a designer I admire so much and we share a mutual love of Japanese culture and style. To become global brand ambassador is truly a dream come true for me.”
She added on Instagram that she first bought her mother a Louis Vuitton bag when she was 16, calling the ambassadorship a “full circle moment.”
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