Chanel has been title sponsor and official timekeeping partner of the annual Oxford v Cambridge boat race for the last couple of years, but who knew? As it’s been broadcast on the BBC since 1938, brands have not had much of a look in when it comes to raising awareness beyond the actual riverside audience.
The 2027 race on the Thames will be broadcast on Channel 4 and can now be proudly advertised as the Chanel J12 Boat Race. To celebrate, Chanel is going beyond badging (the J12 is the brand’s unisex sports watch) to create the winners’ trophies and the new designs are here to admire. In celebration of the centenary of the women’s race next year, the men will be the warm-up act for once, and the women will take top billing by racing second.
Both trophies were designed by Thomas Lyte, who holds a Royal Warrant to King Charles, and there’s much talk in the press release of the tradition, heritage, discipline, and high standards that Chanel is buying into.
Back in 1927, the women weren’t allowed to do anything as vulgar as race directly against each other. Instead, they had to go separately and were assessed by judges on not just speed but style as well.
