Sir Lewis Hamilton, the seven time F1 World Champion, (or eight?) is a force to reckon with, and so is his stylist Eric Mcneal, both of whom together have shown to the world time and again that F1 is after all the most glamorous sport there is, and Sir Hamilton is not only a sports superstar, but a global fashion icon.
Emerging in the 2010s, he was often spotted in team merchandise or era-appropriate streetwear, from Louis Vuitton's bomber jackets to printed Prada. And while he's always leaned towards fashion more than anyone else on the grid, this transition to a global fashion icon, and an inspirational one at that, has happened over the last three seasons or so.
If you love fashion, watching fashion, or keeping up with it, Hamilton is a sight for sore eyes, often seen cosying up in Zegna cashmere and crimson Prada sneakers; his style is vast, and all I can say is that that man can pull anything off. From sheer tops to sleek leather ensembles, to (my favourite) monochrome fits, to casual T-shirts and jeans, everything is a statement tip-toeing around and referencing athleisure.
His sense of style itself is progressive, trend building, and forward-thinking even if he's mildly skirting the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) dress code, but as long as he's doing it in Tiffany & Co., we don't mind rule-breaking when diamonds are involved. Another moment that every fashion enthusiast and Hamilton fan will remember is the driver's 2024 Met Gala look, where he wore a custom Burberry that paid homage to 18th-century Black gardener John Ystumllym and poet Alex Wharton. Since then, there have been several glam moments, with the latest (and most memorable) one being his first photograph as a Ferrari driver outside Enzo Ferrari's House that had also gone on to break the internet, making it the most liked and shared F1-related photograph in history.
Another thing that makes Hamilton's fashion a phenomenon in itself is how easily he makes everything his own. He gets the assignment right every single time, every single race week, or red carpet. He proves that style isn't about categorising a look into an aesthetic, but clothing in itself is all about executing an artist's vision, making it personal, something he does time and again at every Grand Prix, no matter who he's wearing. And what's even better is that while he's dripping in designer, every look is attainable and something anyone can re-create, which is also testimony to how fashion should be.
