Earlier this week, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame gala inducted its usual cast of standout sailors as well as a long-established sailing journalist, but the committee broke tradition by awarding Louis Vuitton the Sir Richard Francis Sutton, 5th Baronet Medal. While it’s not exactly an Oscar, the fashion house is the first luxury brand to be inducted into the highly selective Hall of Fame.
At an event at the Maritime Museum in Barcelona, Spain, where the America’s Cup finals are currently being held, sailors Josh Belsky, Kevin Shoebridge, and Juan Vila as well as writer Bob Fisher became the AC Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Native New Yorker Belsky began sailing competitively in the 1980s. Of his participation in five America’s Cup campaigns, he won three of those Cups. Shoebridge, a New Zealander that’s a four-time winner of the America’s Cup and a veteran of five Volvo Ocean Races, was the second honoree. The latest event in Barcelona is his 10th consecutive Cup campaign.
The black-tie affair took place in the historic Barcelona Maritime Museum, where the America’s Cup is being held.
Louis Vuitton
Spanish sailor Vila has also participated in 10 consecutive America’s Cup cycles, starting in 1992. Like Shoebridge, he has also competed in successive round-the-world sailing races. And veteran yachting journalist Fisher is the only non-sailor in the group, but the nomination committee noted he has done much to advance the America’s Cup both among sailing and mainstream readers.
Since being founded in 1992, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame has inducted more than 100 sailors, builders, designers, naval architects, and team financiers. “This year’s class reflects the America’s Cup’s intent to foster ‘friendly competition between foreign countries,’” said Steven Tsuchiya, chairman of the selection committee. “We’re honoring four individuals—from four different nations—united by their genuine affection for each other and for yachting’s greatest prize.”
While the sailors were a given, the night’s big surprise came when Louis Vuitton won the Sir Richard Francis Sutton medal. Named after a 19th-century English yachtsman from the famed Royal Yacht Squadron, the award recognizes the spirit of sportsmanship in the America’s Cup.
Louis Vuitton has a 41-year association with the America’s Cup as sponsor of its Challenger series. This year it was lead sponsor for the entire event.
Pietro Beccari, chairman and CEO of LV, accepted the award on behalf of his firm. “We are proud to have accompanied the history of this legendary trophy, sharing the same values as the America’s Cup: the ambition to surpass oneself and the continuous quest for innovation,” he said at the event.
More than sportsmanship, the medal is recognition of the fashion house’s long history with the America’s Cup, which began in 1983, when the brand began to sponsor the Challenger series or what would become the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Sponsorship that year probably offered the brand its best possible exposure. Called the “Cup That Changed Everything,” the 1983 event included a level of professionalism and athleticism that defined successive campaigns as well as new boat designs and, with the designs, lawsuits. Most importantly, it marked the first loss of the America’s Cup by the New York Yacht Club since it won the event in 1851. Australia II were victorious in the Cup that year, and despite many millions of dollars during decades-long efforts, the New York Yacht Club has been unable to reclaim it.
This year’s new Louis Vuitton Cup, with a custom LV travel case, is notably more fashionable than the 19th Century America’s Cup.
Louis Vuitton
Over the last 21 years, the Louis Vuitton Cup has become one of the highlights of the America’s Cup cycle. It is the pre-final series where multiple Challenger teams come together for over a month to race for the America’s Cup final. The races that choose the winning Challenger are typically the most exciting in the entire series. That Challenger then competes against the America’s Cup Defender to determine who will win the Cup.
Louis Vuitton has also arguably added a sense of style to a sport that, while often considered elitist, isn’t particularly cutting edge in terms of fashion. The brand this year also devised a bold new trophy for the Louis Vuitton Cup winner that is literally centuries ahead of the staid 19th-century America’s Cup.
The fashion house has upped its profile this year, becoming the namesake sponsor for the entire event, including both the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger series and the America’s Cup finals, or what is now called the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. In the latest results, Defender Emirates Team New Zealand is up in the series, four races to two, against the Challenger Team Ineos of Great Britain. The final is a first-to-seven race series that will determine the overall winner.