Louis Vuitton Revives Its Core Values Campaign with Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal is embracing legend-making journeys…

Louis Vuitton has revived its Core Values campaign with the 37-year-old Spanish professional tennis player and his longtime tennis rival and friend Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal & Roger FedererThe campaign, shot by iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz, features the former ATP World No. 1 players, a rare off-the-court pairing, ascending to the summit of Italy’s Dolomites mountain range. The imagery fits the campaign’s tagline: “There are Journeys that turn into Legends.”

The newly released campaign features Federer and Nadal 3,000 meters high, standing tall on the mountain peak. In the imagery, Federer sports a Monogram Christopher backpack while Nadal is pictured with the Monogram Eclipse version.

For the campaign, Nadal and Federer are not competitors but instead companions for one another on the journey up the mountain — a visual metaphor for their careers which have been “marked by deep mutual respect and friendship,” according to the luxury brand.

“I know how many important icons have been part of this campaign, so for me personally, being part of it is something that I am very proud of, especially sharing it with Roger,” Nadal said in a release.

“He has been my biggest rival and now a close friend today,” Nadal continued. Federer shared similar sentiments.

“It’s a unique opportunity to be working on this campaign with Rafa,” Federer said in a release. “How we could be such rivals and then at the end of our careers be beside each other doing this campaign has been very cool. And where we are here today, I think it also embodies everything: at the peak of the mountains. For us it is something meaningful and special.”

Federer officially retired from tennis in 2022. Meanwhile, Nadal recently said that his own retirement is likely close.

Louis Vuitton originally launched the Core Values campaign in 2007 and has featured a slew of stars including Angelina Jolie, Bono, Sean Connery, Steffi Graf, Keith Richards, Muhammad Ali, Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Sally Ride, Buzz Aldrid and more.

The luxury fashion house aims for every Core Values campaign, and every Louis Vuitton design, to echo a trio of values: a journey beyond the physical, a commitment to excellence and a transmission of dreams.

The Core Values campaign will be released on Louis Vuitton’s social media channels and in print insertions on May 18.

Molina Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Mario Molina has earned a major presidential honor…

The 70-year-old Mexican chemist and environmental scientist has been named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mario Molina

Molina, the first Mexican-born citizen to ever receive a Nobel Prize in chemistry, joins a list of 16 individuals that includes jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, veteran Washington Post journalist Ben Bradlee, former President Bill Clinton and country singer Loretta Lynn.

The award established 50 years ago by President John F. Kennedy is the country’s highest civilian honor given to Americans who’ve made contributions “to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Molina, one of the most prominent precursors to the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, has received several awards and honors throughout his career, sharing the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Paul J. Crutzen for their discovery of the role of chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) in ozone depletion.

Molina had been assigned by President Barack Obama to form part of the transition team on environmental issues.

He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science.

This year’s other honorees include: baseball player Ernie Banks, Senator Daniel Inouye (posthumous), Nobel Prize-winning scholar Daniel Kahneman, Senator Richard Lugar, astronaut Sally Ride (posthumous), civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (posthumous), ex-UNC basketball coach Dean Smith, Gloria Steinem, civil rights leader Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian, and Judge Patricia Wald.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours,” said President Obama. “This year’s honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world. It will be my honor to present them with a token of our nation’s gratitude.”