Chanel partners with Australian Ballet, as Ralph Lauren hits the Australian Open

Chanel follows Ralph Lauren in major Australian sponsorship deal.

Chanel follows Ralph Lauren in major Australian sponsorship deal. Photographer: Georges Antoni.

Global luxury brands are increasingly finding ways to be involved with local events and institutions to further bolster their presence in the Australian market.

Following the news this week that Ralph Lauren is to become the official outfitter of the Australian Open, French luxury house Chanel has announced a three-year partnership with the Australian Ballet. Chanel will be specifically supporting a project to digitise the 58-year-old ballet company’s archives.

The house’s founder, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, was a long-time patron of the arts, and specifically ballet, beginning with the revival of the controversial Ballets Russes ballet The Rite of Spring in 1920.

“We in Australia have been looking for a local partnership that made sense to the history of Chanel that supports the local arts community,” David Blakeley, Chanel’s managing director Australia & New Zealand, told The Australian. “Together with the Australian Ballet we identified both a need to restore and protect heritage, and a way that Chanel could offer our expertise in this area to support this need for future generations.”

The value of the sponsorship has not been disclosed, but is said to be significant.

The company has sponsored other projects with global ballet companies, including the Opera de Paris, Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet, the American Dance Theatre and the English National Ballet.

“We firmly believe it is especially important for a brand like Chanel in today’s context to commit this level of local support for future generations, given the difficult times for retail businesses and cultural institutions all over the world,” Mr Blakeley said.

For Ralph Lauren, sport is the more natural pairing, which, with the announcement of the partnership with the AO, means it has three of the world’s four grand slam tournaments in its pocket.

The company’s vice-president, David Lauren, also the son of its founder, said that becoming the official outfitter of the Australian Open was a key way to gain further traction in the market.

“The partnership with the AO also supports some of our key business strategies, which are to win over a new generation and to expand into key underdeveloped markets, like Australia,” Mr Lauren told The Australian.

While he said the appeal of the tournament dubbed “the Happy Slam” was obvious, “it is also the most watched grand slam, reaching over 900 million households around the world every day.

With such engaged and passionate ­audiences, we’ve always looked to our sports sponsorships as platforms to speak to consumers in new ways, whether that be launching innovative retail experiences, piloting first-to-market technologies, creating sustainable uniforms or giving back and honouring the frontline workers who fought so bravely in the battle against COVID-19.”

The partnership’s financial details have not been released, but it is believed to run for six years.