Formula 1 has always known how to sell a fantasy: elite performance, aerodynamic beauty, and a dizzying trail of champagne flutes clinking along the French Riviera. But somewhere between the lights going out and the checkered flag waving, F1 underwent an aesthetic shift—transforming from petrol-fuelled sport to style-saturated spectacle. In an era where fashion houses are grappling with shrinking margins, overproduction scandals, and a cooling post-COVID luxury boom, Formula 1 has become an unexpected lifeline for the industry. Because what better way to reach the next generation of luxury consumers than by harnessing the global reach of a sport that is suddenly hotter than the front row at Balenciaga?
This wasn’t just about a few gridwalk appearances or a branded cap on a celebrity. The Formula 1 paddock has become the new Paris runway. Lewis Hamilton didn’t simply attend Fashion Week; he rewrote the rulebook, walking both metaphorically and literally into fashion’s inner circle. What started with Tommy Hilfiger collabs and Virgil Abloh-designed paddock looks has ballooned into a full-speed culture takeover—where labels like Louis Vuitton, Reiss, Boss, and Chanel aren’t just dressing drivers, they’re placing long-term bets on motorsport’s rising cultural capital. And in the process, they’ve made F1 more fashionable than ever.
1. Louis Vuitton: From Trophy Trunks to Trackside Domination
Louis Vuitton doesn’t just make bags anymore—it makes cultural moments. The maison’s initial foray into F1 via trophy trunks for Monaco was charming, heritage-laced branding. But in 2025, Vuitton dropped the throttle with a ten-year sponsorship deal that puts its name not just near the podium but in the race title itself: the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix. This isn't side-hustle brand awareness. It's title-card dominance. The strategy? Occupy both the literal and symbolic front seat in motorsport’s most glamourous venues—from the grid to the club to the cruise collection.
But Vuitton’s fashion integration isn’t just about banners and backdrops. Pharrell’s SS24 runway looks—worn by Hamilton and Gasly alike—blurred the line between racing uniform and street couture. The brand's trophy trunks have become objets d’art, Instagram catnip for Gen Z fans and yacht-dwellers alike. In a cooling luxury market, Louis Vuitton is banking on the turbo-charged fandom of F1 to keep their monogram flying high.
2. Tommy Hilfiger and Mercedes-AMG: The Original Gridwalk Style Pioneers
Tommy Hilfiger was in the pit lane before it was cool. The American heritage brand’s longstanding relationship with Mercedes-AMG Petronas has aged like a very well-tailored varsity jacket. Lewis Hamilton’s early collaborations with Hilfiger signalled what was to come: capsule drops with real fashion credibility, gender-inclusive silhouettes, and storytelling rooted in performance and purpose. The latest APXGP campaign—featuring Damson Idris, star of the upcoming Brad Pitt F1 film—feels less like sports marketing and more like a high-concept cinematic lookbook.
And the smartest pivot? Women. Hilfiger is acutely aware that the fastest-growing fan demographic in F1 is female—and their purchasing power is reshaping merch, marketing, and brand positioning. From partnering with Awake NY to backing F1 Academy's female racers, Hilfiger has positioned itself at the precise intersection of cultural relevance, progressive branding, and luxury resale appeal. It’s not just collaboration; it’s conversion.
3. Reiss x McLaren: Merch, but Make it Fashion
Reiss, traditionally the go-to for British workwear polish, leaned into F1 fashion with its McLaren partnership—originally rooted in logo-heavy teamwear but now entirely reimagined through the Hype Collection. Think leather varsity jackets, silky co-ords, and unisex silhouettes tailored to a social-first, style-driven audience. According to Reiss, the shift wasn’t accidental—it was a response to the way women were already hacking their fandom, customising men’s team kits for a more fashionable fit.
The result? Reiss’ fastest-selling McLaren drop to date. Unlike traditional merch, these pieces don’t scream sports fan—they whisper trend insider. And with McLaren’s rising female fanbase, it’s proof that when you stop treating merch as an afterthought and start treating it like fashion, the fashion crowd responds.
4. Ferrari: High-Octane Heritage Meets High Fashion
Ferrari has long been a symbol of Italian luxury, but in 2021, it made a sartorial pivot with its first in-house fashion line—and by 2023, it secured a runway slot at Milan Fashion Week. Creative director Rocco Iannone isn’t interested in logo merch. He’s pitching Ferrari as a lifestyle brand for the kind of woman who might alternate between Bottega and Balmain—but still wants to wear a team blazer to Monza.
Recent moments include dressing Alicia Keys in a tailored Ferrari suit, inviting Rihanna into the paddock, and styling Naomi Campbell in campaign shoots that look like Vogue Italia editorials. The message is clear: Ferrari is done being a car brand with merch. It wants to be a fashion brand with horsepower.
5. Chanel: The Monaco Moment
When Chanel’s 2023 Cruise Collection debuted with racetrack motifs, racing stripes, and pastel-hued helmets stamped with No. 5, it was less of a gimmick and more of a vibe check. Set in Monaco, the collection tapped into the historical romance of motorsport’s most stylish location—and offered the clearest signal yet that even the most tradition-bound fashion houses are craving a little velocity.
The collection may not have been a commercial bestseller, but it cemented Formula 1 as a valid style muse. Marine Serre and Y/Project may offer edgier takes—like reconstituted race suits and optical-illusion pit stop gowns—but Chanel brought glamour back to the grid.
6. Boss x Aston Martin: A Masculine Heritage Brand Goes Co-Ed
Once tethered to Hackett’s very British, very male sensibility, Aston Martin made a switch to Boss—and with it, embraced a wardrobe strategy that includes womenswear. For Boss, it’s a savvy rebrand: ditching the ‘boardroom man’ aesthetic for something closer to Zendaya-meets-Zandvoort. From tailored co-ords to retro sunglasses, the brand is now kitting out team principals, drivers, and guests in pieces that belong on fashion moodboards.
Aston Martin’s new aesthetic is softer, younger, more feminine—not unlike its brand ambassador Jessica Hawkins, a former stunt driver and F1 Academy mentor. And yes, there’s still plenty of green.
7. Beauty and the Grid: Charlotte Tilbury, Puma, and the Power of Women
Beauty and fashion often move in tandem, and Charlotte Tilbury knows that better than most. Her brand’s investment in F1 Academy—sponsoring all-female races and mentoring emerging talent—is both philanthropic and profitable. With women now making up 40% of F1’s fanbase, there’s a massive commercial incentive to back female visibility in the sport.
Puma’s racing boots, too, are no longer just track kit—they’re part of capsule collections worn by influencers and reposted endlessly on TikTok. As Ali Donnelly of More Than Equal explains: “Brands who invest in women see ROI not just in dollars, but in cultural loyalty.”
8. Tag Heuer x Oracle Red Bull Racing: Timing Is Everything
In the world of F1, precision isn’t just a performance metric—it’s a brand strategy. Enter Tag Heuer, whose long-standing partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing fuses Swiss horological mastery with the adrenaline of the track. These aren’t just timepieces; they’re wearable trophies, from the skeleton-dial Carrera Chronographs to the limited-edition Monaco watches that nod to both Verstappen’s dominance and vintage pit lane cool.
By aligning with the sport’s most dominant team, Tag Heuer has secured more than just logo placement—it’s embedded itself into the rhythm of race day, the style language of the paddock, and the wristwear wishlists of fans worldwide. Because in F1, timing is everything.
Final Lap
Formula 1 isn’t the new red carpet. It’s the new fashion week. And as the sport’s demographics shift—skewing younger, more diverse, and increasingly female—luxury fashion houses aren’t just watching from the sidelines. They’re building wardrobes, campaigns, and cultural clout from the paddock up. In a time when the traditional markers of fashion relevance are faltering, Formula 1 offers the ultimate runway: global, glamorous, and moving at 200 miles per hour.
Because in 2025, it’s not enough to walk the walk. You have to race it.
