Naomi Osaka is the New Face of Louis Vuitton

By: Tajiya Holland

Tennis pro Naomi Osaka is adding Louis Vuitton, global brand ambassador, to her long list of accomplishments. The three-time Grand Slam champion is Forbes’ highest-paid female athlete, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.

Naomi recently debuted her first campaign with the luxury fashion house, photographed by the artistic director of women’s collections, Nicolas Ghesquière. The campaign features Osaka in a playful mini-dress with a bold, colorful illustrative print, along with a shoulder bag in Louis Vuitton’s iconic logo print. This news is exciting and moving for fans of tennis and fashion alike. Becoming an ambassador is also a sentimental moment for Osaka as she nostalgically speaks on buying her first LV bag.

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Ghesquiére welcomed the tennis champ with a message on Instagram stating, “Naomi is an exceptional young woman who represents her generation and is a role model for everyone. Her career and conviction are inspiring and I am in awe of her. She states true to herself and doesn’t compromise her values. I am looking forward to sharing new projects with Naomi in the year to come!”

There is no doubt that Naomi is a force to be reckoned with on and off the court. As she has grown into a public figure, she often couples fashion with activism. At the U.S. Open 2020, she wore face masks with victims’ names to honor the Black Lives Matter movement.

Naomi Osaka unquestionably has a passion for fashion. To collect her trophy at the U.S. Open, she wore a traditional headwrap to pay homage to her Haitian heritage. She also partnered with Nike to promote sports for young girls and collaborated with ADEAM on a NYFW collection inspired by “kawaii,” the culture of cuteness in Japan—a nod to Osaka’s Japanese roots.

After being named the face of Vuitton, Osaka stated, “It’s 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 a global brand ambassador is truly a dream come true for me.”

It appears that this pair is a match made in fashion heaven. The possibilities are endless for Naomi’s new role for Louis Vuitton and we can’t wait to see what’s next!