For Alcaraz, the root of the partnership lay in his burgeoning interest in fashion over the past few years. After discussing the possibility of branching out into this new terrain with one of his agents, the conversation with Louis Vuitton developed quickly – and felt like a no-brainer. “For me, Louis Vuitton is really a brand that I have always looked to and when the opportunity to work with the team arose, it instantly felt like a perfect partnership,” says Alcaraz. “I was really invested from the start.”
Alcaraz explains that he’s been spending the past few years educating himself on where fashion is at today, and how he might make his entry into that arena. (Eagle-eyed tennis watchers will already have noted Alcaraz’s penchant for a jazzy sneaker, and he’s previously expressed his admiration for the late Virgil Abloh’s playful approach to blurring the lines between sportswear and high fashion.) “I really want to know more about it and be more into fashion,” says Alcaraz. “I think it’s a very interesting world and it excites me.”
Still, Alcaraz admits that his personal style is ever-evolving. “It’s difficult to define oneself,” he says. “What I can say is that I like having a wardrobe with basic timeless items, and then combining them with more fashion-led pieces.” One thing he’ll never pass up, however, is the opportunity to slip into some sharp tailoring. “I’ve started wearing suits more frequently, and I really like wearing them on occasions when I need to – and adding a fresh or modern touch, but without taking away from the elegance of the garment,” he says. “I like that it hugs your body, that it’s fitted rather than loose.”
Alcaraz has plenty of forebears to look up to when it comes to blazing a trail through the worlds of both fashion and tennis (he cites Félix Auger Aliassime as a particular hero on the style front), but the parallels between the new generational chapter he’s helping open in tennis and the sea change currently taking place at the house of Louis Vuitton isn’t lost on him, either. “I’d been waiting for Pharrell’s first collection since he was named men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton after the passing of Virgil, who I’ve always really appreciated because of the legacy he has left in the world of fashion,” he notes. Turns out Pharrell’s first collection for the house, which debuted at Paris Fashion Week Men’s on June 20, wasn’t just a hit with the fashion press, but with Alcaraz too. “I have seen all the looks and it’s really difficult to choose one favourite – there are so many I like!” he says.
With a breathtaking run at Queen’s under his belt – and his subsequent return to the number one ranking – Alcaraz is in pole position to mount a serious challenge to Wimbledon favourite Novak Djokovic as the tournament gets underway this week. Yet even within Alcaraz’s career-defining year, the Louis Vuitton ambassadorship still feels like a feather in his cap: “The truth is that I feel very proud,” he says.
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