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how trend, identification, and activism are reshaping the F1 paddock


Lewis Hamilton has by no means raced simply to win. He has raced, and continues to race, to depart a mark that goes past the monitor. That is now confirmed in black and white by the Could 2025 cowl of Vogue US, the long-lasting version devoted to the Met Gala. A basic tuxedo, a assured gaze, and a strong message: there isn’t any longer a boundary between driver, activist, and cultural icon.

Lewis Hamilton is simply the second man in historical past to look solo on the duvet of Vogue US—after Harry Kinds—however this milestone is way more than aesthetic recognition. It symbolizes a journey that started removed from the highlight, in a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of London, the place younger Lewis labored laborious to be the most effective on monitor whereas additionally dreaming wide-eyed by way of music movies and American movies. Whereas each household useful resource went into his future in karting, he was additionally constructing his identification by way of trend—usually sporting second-hand garments, however with a really clear objective: self-expression.

In Formulation 1, which he entered in 2007, the British driver has damaged information and stereotypes with equal resolve. On monitor, he made historical past along with his 7 world titles. Off it, he redefined the position of the fashionable driver—not simply an athlete, however a public determine in a position to make use of himself as a story area. Within the paddocks, between briefings and press conferences, he launched a brand new visible language, characterised by daring and more and more deliberate stylistic selections.

It wasn’t straightforward. At first, he was anticipated to put on solely team-issued gear or formal apparel, and he himself recounts how “trapped” he felt in a picture that wasn’t his. However over time—and particularly after reaching his present standing within the sport—he selected to vary the foundations of the sport. He started displaying up at Grands Prix in more and more private seems to be, usually sparking dialog and paving the best way for different drivers.

In the present day, the Briton seems as co-chair of the Met Gala alongside names like Pharrell Williams and A$AP Rocky. The theme of the occasion, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Type,” celebrates Black dandyism and Black magnificence as types of resistance, identification, and affirmation. For Lewis Hamilton, this isn’t only a trend theme—it’s lived expertise. It’s the story of his father, of his household’s sacrifices, of all the time feeling below scrutiny and needing to excel greater than others to be accepted.

However Lewis Hamilton has by no means settled for being accepted: he wished to rework the area round him. On the 2021 Met Gala, he purchased a whole desk to deliver younger rising Black designers with him and provides them a platform. A alternative that proved sport, fashion, and social dedication can—and should—stroll collectively.

Now, as he prepares for the Could 5 occasion with stylist Eric McNeal, the message stays the identical: each element, each material, each line of that look will probably be meant to inform a narrative. A narrative that doesn’t cease on the first nook, however continues over time, shapes tradition, and enters collective reminiscence.

Lewis Hamilton is now not “simply” a Formulation 1 champion. He’s a logo of change. After the Ferrari revolution, this Vogue cowl—and his presence on the Met Gala—are but extra proof that even from the beginning grid, it’s attainable to start out altering the world.

Lewis Hamilton for Vogue US: how fashion, identity, and activism are reshaping the F1 paddock

Supply: formula1.it

Alex Marino

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