Nicolas Ghesquière Taps Naomi Osaka as New Louis Vuitton Ambassador

Tennis champion Naomi Osaka is Louis Vuitton's newest house ambassador. The 23-year-old player has already earned a plethora of tennis titles throughout her career; she was ranked No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association and is a three-time Grand Slam singles champion and the reigning U.S. Open champion.

The first Asian athlete to hold the top ranking in singles, Osaka was born in Japan to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother and has been vocal on and off the court about racial turmoil in the United States. Now, with the new campaign, she is also among the first Black women to become a Louis Vuitton brand ambassador. Osaka has quickly become a young influence on diversity and inclusion in the sports realm and beyond.

This isn't Osaka's first foray into the fashion world, either. She collaborated with Adeam in September 2020 for a collection that the pairing presented at New York Fashion Week, and she released a Nike apparel collection in November 2020. The sporty style star makes her debut as Louis Vuitton's latest ambassador in the fashion house's Spring/Summer 2021 campaign photographed by Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière. A first look at Osaka as the face of the French fashion house shows the athlete in a printed dress from the latest Louis Vuitton women's collection, styled with a monogram bag.

"Naomi is an exceptional woman who represents her generation and is also a role model for everyone. Her career and convictions are inspiring. I am in awe of Naomi, she stays true to herself and doesn’t compromise on her values,” Ghesquière said.