Fashion and beauty brands embrace opportunities in motorsport

F1 and motorsport is becoming a global lifestyle phenomenon which is fast evolving.

In 2024, the sport saw a record-breaking attendance of 6.5 million, viewership of 1.6 billion, and a fanbase of over 825 million – a 90 million increase from the year before. The demographic shift is opening up previously untapped industries, particularly in the fashion and beauty space, bringing a new wave of brand partnerships, licensing opportunities, and commercial deals.

What’s changing?

Fashion and luxury brands are now entering the grid. Louis Vuitton’s $1 billion partnership with Formula 1, including title sponsorship and custom trophy trunks, shows the scale of commercial opportunity now on offer. This 10-year deal illustrates how high fashion and high performance can collaborate effectively.

McLaren’s fashion partnership with Reiss has also picked up rising interest from fans. Female fans in particular have praised the ‘Hype’ collection for plugging a gap in the market, offering modern official merchandise, which uniquely caters to a female audience and merges sport with streetwear fashion.

It isn’t only the fashion space that’s now investing in high performance sport. British beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury’s sponsorship of the F1 Academy shows how beauty can align with female empowerment in motorsport. Currently, seven percent of F1 drivers are women and four percent of these women compete at top levels. It’s anticipated that more beauty collaborations in the motorsport space, could attract more women to engage with and participate in the sport.

As new industries enter the F1 ecosystem, they face unfamiliar commercial, regulatory, and intellectual property landscapes. Our Commercial team supports clients to structure, negotiate and protect their interests in high-value, fast moving spaces.

You don’t need to be a global luxury powerhouse to participate in F1’s new commercial landscape. Small to medium sized businesses emerging in the UK can also benefit from strategic, well-structured collaborations. If you’re exploring opportunities in sports marketing, brand collaborations, or sponsorship within the industry, we’re here to help.

How we can help:

• Drafting brand and sponsorship agreements that clearly define rights, payment terms, exclusivity, and content usage
• Protecting your IP in high-profile collaborations and co-branded products
• Licensing and merchandising support, especially when entering new markets
• Advising on compliance, including guidance on ‘green’ or sustainability claims
• ESG and diversity alignment, especially for purpose-driven campaigns.