It's a chilly Thursday evening on London's Bond Street, and Mayfair is filled with hordes of hysterical Gen-Zers buzzing with excitement, camera phones raised, outside Dior's flagship store. It's the impending arrival of Sir Lewis Hamilton that has them giddy; the F1 champion launches his own collaboration with the legendary Parisian house and as he arrives the screams grow louder.
Perhaps more than any other sportsman today, Hamilton has become a real rock star, far beyond the boundaries of the circuit. As he approaches his 40th birthday, his fashion status is secured this week by two major announcements: that he will co-chair next year's prestigious Met Gala with Anna Wintour and Pharrell Williams, and the launch of his debut collection for Dior. , designed in collaboration with menswear artistic director Kim Jones. Arriving at the latter's launch dressed in a sleek black ensemble with a jacket with jagged yellow motifs, Hamilton says he feels more comfortable than ever in this high fashion environment, and also more confident in his own look.
"I immediately said yes," he admits when Jones contacted him about a collaboration. "I have always been a big fan of Kim's work." British designer Jones is perhaps Britain's most prolific fashion designer working today: he runs Dior Men and, until recently, Italian house Fendi. The process of creating the collection involved more than just applying his name to something, Hamilton points out.
He clearly relishes the role of co-designer - the resulting designs are somewhere between ski savant from Courchevel and surfer from California; tufted fleeces in fluorescent painterly spots, sporty cagoules and puffa jackets. "It was practical, which wasn't easy when you travel as much as I do," he says. "I really immersed myself in this process, we met in person as much as possible and when I was on the road we had a group chat to constantly share ideas, inspiration and feedback. Kim and his team offered their experience and talent to shape my creativity."
The offer of a collaboration with one of the world's most important maisons makes sense, given Hamilton's evolution in the fashion world and his palpable enthusiasm for self-expression. The boy from Stevenage has become one of the most experimental figures in menswear in recent years. With his rise to the position of record-breaking Formula 1 team since he started his racing career in 2001, his style has also become more daring and daring.
"When I first started in F1 I felt a lot of pressure to conform, but over the years I started to feel more comfortable in the way I styled myself," he admits. In the first photos of Hamilton, when he first started attracting attention, he is seen in polite blazers and all-male skinny jeans, looking like an average 20-year-old on a night out.
"I had the first opportunity to go to a fashion show in Paris in my early twenties and I was blown away by the whole experience and the amazing energy - it really inspired me to start expressing myself fully through fashion."
Expressing himself he has, and then some; Some hifalutin highlights include a riotous print and pattern, Brigadeon explosions of tartan, stardust sprinkling of jewelry, more brocade and embroidery than the court of Louis XIV, and catchy streetwear designs.
He has been a fixture on the Met Gala red carpet for the past five years, wearing some of his most daring ensembles, including a Kenneth Nicholson suit with a tulle skirt that falls into a train and, this year, a stunning black Burberry -embroidered coat and necklace of pointed thorns. He is diligent about giving young designers of color a platform as well, wearing pieces from emerging talents like Theophilio, Jason Rembert and Ahluwalia to high-profile public events.
It is particularly impressive and inspiring for a younger generation that he has chosen to play with stylistic conventions in the ultra-machismo world of motorsport. Not the standard leather racing jacket for him.
But he wasn't always so confident, he explains. He grew up in Hertfordshire and had been a competitive junior racer since 1998 at the age of 13. His desire was to fit in rather than stand out.
"When I was younger, I was really inspired by hip-hop culture and was able to express myself through those kinds of looks," he says. "But at the same time I was trying to make it in racing and that kind of style wasn't really accepted in that world."
"I thought it was important to fit in and that's what I tried to do," he continues. "As I got older and started to have success in Formula 1, I went on this journey of worrying less about the approval of others and instead finding what really works for me."
Hamilton loves kilts and wore a blue checked Burberry one at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix. Perhaps it's a form of penance for a misstep he made years ago, in 2017, when he mocked his young nephew on social media for wearing a dress, saying, "Boys don't wear princess dresses!" in a video that he quickly deleted and apologized for. Hamilton subsequently appeared in a skirt on the cover of GQ declaring, "I want to make it right." These days he seems just as happy in a lace princess confection as in precise tailoring.
His chameleon approach is undoubtedly what appealed to him American Vogue In the eyes of editor Anna Wintour, Hamilton said it was an "honor" to have been selected to co-chair one of the most watched red carpet parades in the world. The theme he will chair is relevant: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, a look at the influence of black dandyism on fashion.
"I love fashion, but I've discovered that authenticity is the most important thing," says Hamilton of his ethos when dressing. "It's not about following trends, it's about really appreciating the art that these designers create. I think the key to creating style is figuring out what makes you feel good. If you are confident in what you wear, you will always look great."
Rather than being a distraction from his sport, Hamilton says clothes actually help him feel ready for a race. He created the Lewis Hamilton image of going ahead of the crowd and racing to pole position, and is known for wearing vibrant shades and bold jewelry to compete. "The looks I wear on the track now are like my superpower," he believes. "They show me as myself and that is such a powerful feeling."