EXCLUSIVE: Dior Taps French Surfer Kauli Vaast Ahead of Paris Olympics
SURF’S UP: Dior is padding out its dream team ahead of the Paris Olympics.
The French luxury brand has tapped surfer Kauli Vaast as its latest brand ambassador. The 21-year-old from Papeete in French Polynesia is considered one of the rising stars of the sport and one of his country’s leading prospects heading into the Games.
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“I’m honored and proud to join this magnificent fashion house, which moves forward day by day with audacity and creativity, just as I must do in surf,” Vaast said in a statement.
Dior described him as a “new icon,” having qualified for the Olympics at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador. “Driven by a desire to surpass himself, he henceforth embodies the audacity and excellence of the house,” it added.
Surfing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Vaast grew up surfing Teahupo’o, the fearsome wave that will host the surfing event at the Games in 2024. In August 2021, he shocked onlookers by tackling a wall of water more than 10 meters high, coming out unscathed and with a reputation for fearlessness.
He becomes the first male athlete recruited by Dior in the run-up to the Olympics. The house has also tapped gymnast Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos and wheelchair tennis player Pauline Déroulède as ambassadors.
A premium partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has also committed to partnering with several athletes.
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