Could the balance of Parisian football change?

One of the most talked-about news in the football world in recent hours is the interest of Bernard Arnault, head of the luxury conglomerate LVMH, in purchasing Paris FC, a Parisian club currently in first place in Ligue 2. Another noteworthy detail, according to L'Equipe, is that the acquisition could happen in collaboration with Red Bull, which would expand its roster that already includes Leipzig, Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, Bragantino, and Omiya Ardija. Furthermore, Red Bull has just appointed Jürgen Klopp as the new Head of Global Soccer. Considering the potential promotion to Ligue 1, Paris FC under Bernard Arnault's leadership could truly challenge Paris Saint-Germain, a giant in terms of on-field competitiveness and a financial powerhouse when it comes to off-field initiatives. Until now, the club has been a reliable reference point for the union between European football and streetwear, linking up with different strategies to brands and figures like Stüssy, GOAT, Central Cee (the most recent), but above all, Jordan Brand.

It is possible that in the near future there will be a direct battle for football supremacy and Parisian style in the French league and beyond. With the slow but inexorable decline of streetwear in the luxury container and the return of exclusive fashion undeterred by contamination, PSG's reign could also come to an end. The circle closes not only with the departure of Kyliann Mbappé, the last superstar to leave the Ville Lumiere without having won an international trophy, but also, or above all, with the end of the cycle in which fashion and sportswear met. In recent years, with the takeover by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Paris Saint-Germain has set out to be the Louis Vuitton of European football (the allusion to the recently relaunched jersey is not accidental), a refined and successful product that appeals to both the elite and the banlieues. But what if LVMH itself were on the pitch in the same stadium?

The luxury wave in football

It is not uncommon for football clubs to continue associating with very diverse entities from the fashion world. Consider both collaborations between football teams and streetwear brands, as well as partnerships between clubs and luxury fashion houses that supply their formal wear. In one way or another, fashion and football are continuously intertwining, at any latitude and in any era. In recent years, there has been a noticeable imbalance between streetwear brands, which are more democratic, and luxury brands that have partnered with football clubs: the former have clearly prevailed, showing how clubs, eager to appeal to as wide and diverse an audience as possible, tend to avoid luxury and high price points – a prime example being AC Milan, which this year unveiled yet another collection with Off-White. However, given football’s close ties to fashion, now more than ever it is showing that in the coming months we may witness the same revolution currently unfolding within the fashion system. This world is increasingly in decline and connected to a small circle, namely the elite. The sale of Off-White by LVMH marked a sort of break from what was, until recently, a need to communicate with younger generations and communities, instead gravitating towards an unattainable luxury, an exclusive world for the privileged.

This shift in focus could also expand into football. For instance, consider the potential initiatives that Bernard Arnault could launch by linking Paris FC with his luxury group. All signs point to the possibility that not only will football move closer to luxury, as opposed to streetwear, but it could become a "tool" for luxury. Today, the streetwear culture as Virgil Abloh introduced it has seen a series of projects that have fallen short. In this context, a group like LVMH might approach Paris FC with the goal of finding a new platform—and a new audience—to communicate with a less elite circle, which is at risk of losing interest in brands whose popularity once grew in tandem with Off-White (a brand that is clearly not in good health today), as well as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Loro Piana. It is then unthinkable that luxury in football would not manifest itself in the form of exclusive experiences, which the new owners and investors in this unpredictable system will know how to offer.

If Bernard Arnault's interest in Paris FC is making waves, the phenomenon of Como 1907 in Italy also deserves a mention. Its transformation into an elite club, with the Giovanni Sinigaglia stadium poised to become something akin to Wimbledon in football, is not so far-fetched, especially considering that the club is filled with prominent and luxurious figures. Even in football, there is a concrete change underway that will define the era we are living in, reshaping the nature that has always characterized it. And perhaps, to endure as long as possible, football will need to find an intelligent compromise with the winning ingredients that have made it the most beautiful and popular sport in the world.