EXCLUSIVE: Dior and LVMH Tap Paralympic Cyclist Marie Patouillet for Paris 2024
Para-cyclist Marie Patouillet has been tapped as the fifth athlete sponsored by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton ahead of Paris 2024.
The 35-year-old French athlete, who is a primary care physician, was also announced as a brand ambassador for Dior, the luxury house and its parent group said Thursday.
More from WWD
Patouillet’s appointment is the materialization of “a powerful bond in the name of performance and dreams,” declared Dior, describing the top athlete as “driven by passion and the desire to surpass herself” and embodying the “creativity, commitment and excellence so dear to the house.”
Born with a pathology of the foot and ankle, Patouillet was always passionate about sports and practiced many including running. She turned to cycling at the end of her medical studies in the army when the evolution of her condition required her to not carry her weight in sports.
In 2017, she participated in a stage of the Tour de France cycling competition. Two years later, she won her first bronze medal at the world championship in track cycling. Since, she was five times runner-up in track and won the world title at the 2022 Road World Championships in Canada.
She is working toward her dream of a gold medal at the upcoming Games, after winning two bronze medals at Tokyo’s Paralympic Games in 2021.
In addition to her medical and athletic careers, she is strongly committed to fighting sexism and homophobia in sports, advocating to break down barriers on these issues.
The high-level cyclist joins wheelchair tennis player Pauline Déroulède and gymnast Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos, who have been previously tapped by Dior and its parent group ahead of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A premium partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, LVMH is extending financial support and privileged introductions to its houses to a cohort of Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Several of its houses are playing roles during the games, including Berluti, set to dress the French teams for the opening ceremonies slated July 26 and Aug. 28, and Chaumet, whose Olympic and Paralympic medals include a piece of the Eiffel Tower.
Best of WWD
