Unless you’ve been living entirely off-grid for the last two and half months, international sporting spectacles have taken a commanding control of the cultural zeitgeist throughout summer’s dog days. From our favorite fashionable footballers taking to the pitch across this year’s Copa America and Euro Cup Championships to the litany of memorable moments and memes created in Paris during the 33rd Olympiad, peak athleticism is “IN” in a big way to close out the season—candidly, I’m still processing the whole break-dancing fiasco.
But aside from these freakish feats of athletic glory, what has really kept everyone so captivated is sport’s further integration into the broader institution we call “luxury”—an assimilation process years in the making but one only recently acknowledged by the masses. The image of sports only being about brute strength and disheveled presentation has since been exchanged for calculated finesse and debonair aesthetics—especially when you see some of these high-profile athletes fronting campaigns for some of the biggest names in the biz. These days, what’s going on outside the lines is just as notable, if not more so than what’s happening inside the field of play. For better or worse? We’ll let time be the judge of that.
This once unconventional marriage between luxury and athletics was on full display last Thursday night in Manhattan as Cadillac, America’s premiere automotive brand, further solidified the bond of these once-contrasting entities. Ahead of summer’s sporting grand finale, the US Open Tennis Championships, the premium auto manufacturer hosted an exclusive kickoff reception celebrating its crossover collaboration with rising tennis star Frances Tiafoe and Los Angeles-based shoe designer Dominic Ciambrone, better known as The Surgeon. Taking over the rooftop of the famed Noho members club Zero Bond, the enticing trio welcomed friends from ranging industries for an evening dedicated to imaginative design and intriguing possibilities.
Using the historic car brand’s exciting portfolio of electric vehicles as a muse—that is, the Cadillac LYRIQ, CELESTIQ, OPTIQ, and ESCALADE IQ—Ciamborne and his team at The Surgeon commissioned four bespoke sneakers that reference the intimate detailing and artisanal craftsmanship from the corresponding cars they were directly inspired by. In addition to this run of vehicular-themed kicks, Cadillac and Ciamborne joined forces with Tiafoe to produce custom trainers tailored to the Open-hopeful’s statement style profile—the unmistakable “Big Foe” nickname embroidery really drives this point home.
“Cadillac is such an unbelievable American luxury brand that I’ve been lucky to work with for some time now,” Tiafoe shares after a series of photo ops. “I’ve admired their work since I was young, and the slogan ‘Be Iconic’ resonates deeply with me. Plus, getting to know The Surgeon and hearing how similar his story is to mine, building himself from the ground up, made this all make sense with the three of us.”
Highlighted by a ceremonial unboxing of the CELESTIQ and ESCALADE IQ sneaker silhouettes, guests joined names like reality TV star Pete Weber, model Hayley Kalil, and Canadian tennis star Ayan Broomfield to revel in a night of ceremony, helping cement the current wave of contemporary luxury. As a lifelong creator and savvy entrepreneur, Ciamborne understands the gravity of his latest endeavor. “I remember seeing my dad with his old school Cadillac when I was a kid, so I wanted to dive deep for this one,” the self-made designer thoughtfully recounts. “My team and I traveled to Detroit only about three months ago to get a closer look at these cars, so seeing it all come together with Frances and Cadillac in that time is something really special. We’re taking over the world next.”
Indulging in the spread of hors d’oeuvres paraded around on platters and aptly themed cocktails—the Matchpoint Margarita and IQ Spritz were frequently seen in hand—the evening closed out with affable conversations discussing the collaboration and what the future could entail for this blossoming overlap between sports and globally recognized, high-end organizations. Cadillac’s Associate Director of Media, Eric Neville, noted: “From a Cadillac standpoint, both [Frances and Dominic] embody what we’re all about. We have a saying, ‘ You aren’t given a Cadillac; you earn one.’ And these two definitely have earned their share.”
Arriving at this year’s US Open with a specialized suite, the distinguished automotive mainstay is strengthening its longstanding reputation within the sports world through a fitting and modern recontextualization. Building upon the days when the original Escalade was the coveted vehicle every athlete splurged their signing bonus on, Cadillac injects that prized essence into its latest partnership, giving Tiafoe and Ciamborne the keys to drive them into this next generation.