Earlier this month, French fashion house Louis Vuitton announced its latest House Ambassador, Grammy-winning, Chinese-born American classical pianist Yuja Wang. This came soon after the Maison announced that it had recruited the Chinese table tennis player Chuqin Wang as its brand ambassador.
Yuja Wang, known for her flamboyant stage presence and passionate playing, took China by storm last year with her sold-out tour in the country. In fact, this is not her first rodeo with an LVMH brand, as she started to feature in Rimowa advertisements back in 2019. She has also been a Rolex Testimonee since 2009, then the youngest Rolex partner. Louis Vuitton showed her off in the latest episode of the brand’s Extended podcast series.
Chuqin Wang recently won the WTT (World Table Tennis) Champions Chongqing 2025 after winning mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics. Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, “Wang Chuqin Louis Vuitton brand ambassador” (#王楚钦lv品牌大使#) topped the Hot Search list with 100 million views.
Pundits believe the shift in Louis Vuitton’s choice of ambassadors from celebrities to musicians and athletes further proves the trend of diversifying luxury brand representatives. Last year, Lang Lang, arguably the best-known Chinese pianist, was named by LVMH’s Dior as a brand ambassador. The breakout star of the Paris Olympics, tennis gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, was also signed up by Dior this January as a global ambassador.
Commentators believe that athletes, musicians and other artists can better embody the spirit of luxury brands, including qualities such as sportsmanship, strength, competence and creativity. Moreover, some entertainers and showbiz stars have become liabilities in recent years after closer public scrutiny and controversies, while creators and athletes are likely less divisive.
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