Lewis Hamilton made a stylish entrance to his first Ferrari race weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. Since he joined Ferrari, his style has changed and the inaugural round, he shone with an all-black outfit.

Hamilton has long been synonymous with fashion, with the seven-time world champion partnering with some of the largest fashion brands in the world over his long racing career.

“I love fashion but I’ve found that authenticity is the most important thing,” Hamilton said of his ethos when getting dressed. “It’s not about following trends but about really appreciating the art that these designers create. I think the key to creating style is working out what makes you feel good”.

Lewis Hamilton’s daring style made him a true fashion icon and once again he opened a trend that his colleagues F1 drivers followed so that nowadays we can talk about  the athletes’ so-called ‘fashion walks’ that are not runway shows, but they are hardly any less impressive than the catwalks of the fashion world.

These ‘walks’—typically the short paths athletes take as they briskly head to their locker rooms before preparing for a game like in the NBA or entering the Paddock  —have effectively become fashion moments worthy of the front row.

NBA players, American football stars, soccer players, Formula 1 drivers, and recently even tennis players, are no longer holding back when it comes to showcasing their favorite luxury brands, wearing clothing and accessories often boldly emblazoned with logos as they walk onto the field or into the paddock, all while posing for photographers.

In many cases, it’s pure marketing, driven by sponsorship deals. These contracts give brands a chance to connect with an ever-diverse audience. But for some athletes, it also reflects a genuine passion for the world of fashion and luxury, with many even working with stylist teams to refine their public image.

In the brief moments between their walks through the ‘tunnels,’ the looks of these high-profile athletes end up on the pages of fashion magazines as though they were ads, and much more rapidly, on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. For some users, the outcome of a game might matter less than discovering the hottest collaboration of the moment.

The trend of fashionable athletes is certainly not new. Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, English football star David Beckham, with the help of his wife Victoria, shattered the stereotypes around footballers’ masculinity by wearing diverse and bold looks.

However, recently the bar has been raised: athletes have truly become celebrities, and what they wear has become aspirational for young fans. This shift has led athletes to reassess the value of their public image outside of the sporting arena. Consequently, many have launched fashion projects of their own, which, although often with price points much lower than the luxury brands they wear or represent, serve as a clear extension of their identities—‘not just sporty’.

An example? Lewis Hamilton’s first official photo at Ferrari in front of old Enzo Ferrari’s hous, became the most liked F1 post on Instagram with 5.5 million likes, overtaking his teammate’s one after his Monza’s win (4.6M).