Other than his exploits on the racing track, Lewis Hamilton has also turned quite a few heads in the fashion industry. His stunning appearances in the paddock and other fashion shows have helped him earn the position of co-chair for the upcoming Met Gala, something he is very excited and also nervous about.
“With the Met Gala…I’m so excited. I mean, honestly, it’s been great to be a part of the process and have the privilege of going for many years and then seeing the hosts every year,” Hamilton, who made his first Met Gala appearance back in 2015, said. “On one side, it’s really exciting. On the other side, it’s nerve-wracking”.
Hamilton was confirmed as the co-chair of the upcoming Met Gala ahead of this year’s US Grand Prix weekend. He revealed ahead of the race in Austin that it was “a real honor and privilege” to get this position, something he had worked “for a long, long time”.
Honored to be one of the co-chairs for next year’s Met gala, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. See you in May ~ pic.twitter.com/037A3iYh81
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 9, 2024
He added that Vogue legend Anna Wintour helped him earn this position after he paid for a table at the 2021 edition of the Met Gala to help up-and-coming young black designers get a platform to showcase their talent.
Hamilton indeed has come a long way in the world of fashion. He may be one of the most prominent figures in this world today but it was not long ago when several F1 experts ridiculed him for his fashion choices in the paddock.
However, with Hamilton persevering through all the criticism and continuing to freely express himself in the paddock, he also became a huge inspiration for many of his fellow drivers.
Hamilton has been F1’s trailblazer
For the longest time, F1 drivers would just wear their team kits and would be afraid to express themselves. However, Hamilton changed the game. Drivers such as Pierre Gasly have credited Hamilton for setting the platform for other racers to flaunt their own style in the paddock without having the fear of getting mocked.
“It was something that evolved, majorly thanks to Lewis [Hamilton], who broke the codes back then,” Gasly said in an interview with GQ earlier this year. “[He was] kind of disrupting the laws of how things were at the time”.
For Hamilton, being fashionable every time he steps foot in the paddock helps him gain the confidence to perform well in the races. “If you’re wearing something that you feel confident in, you walk in with a lot of extra inches in your stride and you know that’s what you need when you walk into the paddock,” he explained.
