In spite of the weather, we are undoubtedly on course for a stylishly winning summer. Over in Paris, LVMH is sponsoring the Olympics — where the medals will be presented on Louis Vuitton trays and the French team will wear kit created by Stéphane Ashpool, the designer behind cult streetwear brand Pigalle.
Meanwhile our very own (hey) Jude Bellingham is fronting for Skims and Burberry has signed up Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka. Unsurprisingly, our favourite department store is all over the sportif mood. Selfridges has long had a knack for a themed takeover, but after its inspired Joke Shop project the Oxford Street stalwart has pulled out all the stops for the Sportopia initiative.
Tenniscore stans can head to the roof for a tennis-themed menu at Le Club Lacoste (anyone for a Cucumber Deuce or Match Point Spritz?); embrace merch mania with its foam fingers and frisbees alongside excellent England shirts (particularly into the 1996/97 strip) and classic Champion pieces — which you can try on digitally at Snapchat’s Augmented Reality (AR) Locker Room.
The high-fashion minded will be keen on the Nike x Jacquemus collection launching in the Wonder room (the “Swish” bag is set to be a collector’s piece), and might want to pick up tips from Off-White approved skaters in the permanent skating bowl, or fight over a genius find from vintage kings OOTO: the 2001 Dolce & Gabbana moto jacket — a version of which Victoria Beckham wore at the time and latterly lent to her daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz.
For the keen spectator, you can watch all the Euros games at the cinema, and indulge in its line-up of sports movies. As well as Challengers (for those who missed Zendaya on court earlier this year), it’s showing Rocky tomorrow (obvs), The Color of Money (July 18) and the Madonna-Tom Hanks baseball classic A League Of Their Own (August 1). And if you’d rather get sweaty, there is a 40ft “climbing column” created with LA studio Playlab, available from July 18 in Edwards Mews, which you and five friends can book to shimmy up.
There will also be yoga on the roof, as well as chess boards, table football and arcade sports games around the store. In a world dominated by online shopping, the onus is on stores to dream up ever more tantalising ways to get us off the sofa.
Selfridges’ latest venture in this spirit is the brainchild of its chief creative Laura Weir who says that Sportopia “is a celebration of the power that sport has to entertain, to bring people together, and to create a sense of community. Our jump-off point… was the Selfridges archive (we have a strong sporting legacy) and the communities local to our stores who make sport at every level an inclusive, accessible and exhilarating space to be in. I’m a big believer in optimism and there’s so much to look forward to, including cheering on the England team tonight!”
Ready, set, shop.
Scores at Sportopia:
Foam hand, £10
Selfridges classic football shirts, 1996-97, Gascoigne England away shirt, £349
Jellycat tennis ball soft toy, £25
Tennis dress, Lacoste, £135
Sportopia frisbee, £10
