International celebrities such as Zendaya, Sophia Bush, Jeremy Allen White, Snoop Dogg and others turned heads at a Louis Vuitton event in Paris on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games. Titled ‘The Prelude To The Olympics’, the star-studded gala was held at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris on Thursday.
Musician Pharrell Williams, who is also the creative director of LV’s men’s collections, hosted the party attended by figures such as Steven Spielberg, Zac Efron, LeBron James, Mick Jagger, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams and others.
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Pharrell Williams attends ‘Prelude to the Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Zendaya attends ‘Prelude To The Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Jeremy Allen White attends ‘Prelude To The Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Snoop Dogg attends ‘Prelude To The Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Chris Meledandri, Brian L. Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Donna Langley and Mike Cavanagh attend ‘Prelude to the Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Tyla, Anna Wintour and Baz Luhrmann attend ‘Prelude To The Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Charlize Theron arrives ‘Prelude To The Olympics’ at Fondation Louis Vuitton on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. | Photo Credit: Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC
Pharrell Williams is aiming to reinstate arts competitions back on the world’s biggest sports stage, starting with raising awareness through his star-studded Louis Vuitton event in Paris. He passionately shared his goal to see the tradition revived by the Olympics in 2028 the night before the Games’ opening ceremony.
“We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” Williams before the event. “Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in. ... Why not take this moment to bring awareness?”
Art competitions first came into fruition at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. However, the International Olympic Committee ended the competitions in the 1948 games. An attempt to bring it back was denied four years later.
The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to host its ambitious opening ceremony on the Seine River today. Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organisers said on Thursday.
(with AP inputs)
Published - July 26, 2024 12:01 pm IST
