ON THE BALL: Louis Vuitton is getting a jump on World Cup mania.
As the U.S. gears up for the kickoff of the FIFA soccer tournament on June 11, the French luxury brand is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its partnership with UNICEF with a series of special events, including the sale of a one-of-a-kind timepiece to raise funds for the United Nations agency for children.
Its high-end watchmaking workshop, La Fabrique du Temps, has collaborated with clockmaker L’Épée 1839 to design the clock shaped like a soccer ball, which will be sold by Sotheby’s in an online auction from June 9 to 18, with all profits donated to UNICEF.
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In the run-up to the event, the piece and its custom-made Vuitton trunk are on an international roadshow with stops in Paris, London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore, which is set to culminate with a star-studded celebration dinner on June 9 at Sotheby’s headquarters in New York City, Vuitton said.
The clock’s openwork form is composed of skeletonized hexagons and pentagons fused together with golden brackets, studs and corners reminiscent of Vuitton’s signature trunks. The hour and minute displays are set with a total of 264 black and white diamonds.
The sale of the Louis Vuitton Unity Time Object ties in with the reedition of a coffee-table book titled “Rebonds” (“Rebounds” in English) which features portraits of Louis Vuitton brand ambassadors and celebrities playing with a Monogram canvas ball, designed to symbolize world unity.
The book, originally published in 1998 following the World Cup won by host country France, features some 100 personalities including Rihanna, Sabrina Carpenter, Kim Kardashian, J-Hope, Céline Dion and Julia Roberts.
Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton and a former professional soccer player, is pictured animatedly kicking around a ball at the office with his deputy CEO Damien Bertrand.
Rihanna, meanwhile, is shown at a stadium brandishing a ball in a leather holder and a jersey featuring the name “RiRi” and the number 20, presumably in honor of marking her 20 years in the music industry last year.
Featuring forewords by Beccari and K-pop star Felix, the coffee table tome will be available from June in all Louis Vuitton stores priced at $185, with sales also benefiting UNICEF. Several signed copies will be included in the auction.
Beyond these activations, Vuitton announced it was renewing its support to UNICEF for emergency relief efforts and expanding its commitment to support POWER4Girls, a program dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Its backing will ensure that more than 100,000 girls each year will be able to access essential services and express their leadership, the house said.
Since April 24, it has offered several additions to its annual Silver Lockit jewelry collection, including a limited-edition black-and-white cord bracelet with a football-shaped charm that retails for $385, of which $100 is donated to UNICEF. Since its launch, the collection has raised $28 million.
