The Australian Open has announced an historic partnership with Louis Vuitton, naming the luxury brand as Official Trophy Trunk of the AO.
Louis Vuitton has created two elegant and striking Official Trophy Trunks for the Australian Open, which commences on Sunday 14 January in Melbourne.
The bespoke trunks – one each for the magnificent AO trophies, the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for men and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup for women – will be on show during the women’s and men’s finals on 27 and 28 January, and during the trophy presentation ceremonies.
The specially designed trunks are hand-crafted by experienced Louis Vuitton artisans in the Maison’s historic workshops in Asnières, just outside Paris. The wooden frame is covered in iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas and finished with a classic lozine leather trim and the same brass corner protectors, lock and clasps that have been used on Louis Vuitton trunks since the 1860s.
The trunks’ two front panels, which fold back to reveal the trophies inside, are painted with a striking white V – for “Victory” and “Vuitton”. Both cases are lined with blue microfibre that aligns with the colour palette of the tournament’s signature iconic blue courts and topped off with the Australian Open logo – a white AO – on the underside of the lid.
As Official Trophy Trunk partner to the Australian Open, Louis Vuitton was honoured to work closely with Tennis Australia to produce these brand-new, bespoke cases. They reaffirm the Maison’s long-standing history of creating bespoke travel cases for some of the world’s most iconic trophies, including the FIFA World CupTM, Rugby World Cup, NBA Championship Trophy, Formula One’s Grand Prix de Monaco, League of Legends, and the America’s Cup.
“Louis Vuitton is renowned for creating iconic trunks and we are delighted with the stunning hand-crafted custom trunks created for our historic Australian Open trophies,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.
“The Australian Open and Louis Vuitton both share a commitment to unparalleled excellence and innovation, while retaining great respect for history, tradition and the celebration of legendary achievement and skill.”
"After the Trophy Trunks created for the Rugby World Cup and the Ballon d'Or in 2023, we are proud to announce this new partnership with the first Grand Slam tournament of 2024, which once again shows that Victory travels in Louis Vuitton," says Pietro Beccari, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton.
"For more than 170 years, the Maison has been creating trunks that embody excellence, creativity and audacity, all values we share with the world's greatest sporting events."