Major international sporting events call for big prizes that inevitably travel internationally. So, for this year’s FIFA World Cup, it only makes sense that the trophy gets to travel in style. FIFA tapped none other than famed fashion house (and expert in luxury travel) Louis Vuitton to design the case for the cup’s original golden trophy.
The monogrammed titanium holdall will be unveiled on the field in Moscow this Sunday for the final match of the tournament where fans will see France and Croatia face-off. Toting it will be none other than Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova and legendary German football player Philipp Lahm.
In honor of Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with FIFA, the brand has also released a 2018 FIFA World Cup Collection featuring classic Apollo and Keepall bags in hexagonal leather patchwork and luggage tags brandishing semifinalists’ flags. Plus, each bag can be customized with three different strap colors and five for the patchwork.
The titanium case is the next in a long list of customized pieces Louis Vuitton has created over the years, including a typewriter trunk for Ernest Hemingway and a portable tea-service trunk for the Maharajah of Baroda. However, housing the 18-karat gold and Malachite trophy is not their first involvement with the tournament: the first soccer ball created by the brand was in 1998 when France hosted the tournament.
Main photo credit: Louis Vuitton
