This is What Sports Merch Looks Like When It's Done by Louis Vuitton

We're going to give you and your NBA playoffs-addled brain some respite by giving you news about another crazy sporting event that's just around the corner.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is on June 14 to July 15 in Russia, and to celebrate the arrival of the mega-event, our good friends at Louis Vuitton launches three soccer-themed projects that are sure to get sports (and fashion) fiends excited.

1| First, this giant trophy travel case  

Well, look at it. Handmade in the luxury house's workshops in Asnières, France, the special-order FIFA World Cup Trophy Travel Case is covered in laser-engraved Monogram Titanium, a new material used in the fall/ winter 2018 men's collection. The corners are fitted with contrasting cowhide leather, while the lock and clasps are made of ruthenium, a dark gray metal whose chemical symbol is Ru, which is for, you know, Russia, this year's host.

Of note, the Asnières workshops has created many astonishing custom objects, from a library and typewriter trunk for Ernest Hemingway to a portable tea-service trunk for the Maharajah of Baroda, and continues to produce around 450 special orders every year. The travel case is more than a worthy receptacle for the gold-and-malachite World Cup Trophy (also a thing of beauty). 

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2| Next, this wild ball keeper

Based on Louis Vuitton's classic wardrobe trunk, the limited-edition item, which, of course, is also made in Asnières, opens to reveal 14 footballs: 13 reeditions of all the Adidas Match Balls used at the World Cup (including this year's) and a new Louis Vuitton football. Obviously, this will be extremely hard to get your hands on. Your only consolation is that the LV football can be purchased separately:

Not just for show, the trunk will be sold at a silent auction to benefit the Naked Heart Foundation. The lucky owner of the collectible will sleep well knowing that he has helped “ensure that every child in Russia has a lovely family, and a safe and stimulating place to play.”  

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3| Finally, a suite of things for you

Unless you're a sporty oligarch, the travel case and collection trunk would be very hard to get your hands on. How about something more accessible like official merch made by the French luxury house? There are new versions of the Keepall and Apollo, two wallets, a pocket organizer, a coin purse, and luggage tags. 

Note the colored hexagons, which, made through a three-stage embossing technique, mimics the feel an old leather football. The white parts are, by contrast, smooth. And the “L.V.” found in all pieces follow the style of a team badge in the very font used on the trunks of Gaston-Louis Vuitton.

Even if you can't kick a ball to save your life, these sports-inflected leathergoods declare your love for soccer. What's on your wish list?

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