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78 SIDELINES AUGUST 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE Equestrian Flair

By Laurel Graham

Horses have inspired Hermes and Gucci craftsman for generations. Today, they’re publicizing their connection to the horse world by sponsoring top riders and hosting unique events in Paris. From Saut Hermes to the Gucci Masters, brands are exposing the sport and its athletes to the public sphere.

It isn’t every day that a real princess recommends a sponsorship, but that’s exactly what happened for Australian jumper rider Edwina Alexander, who is one of two riders sponsored by the famed Italian house of Gucci. The frst, Princess Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco was the one to recommend that the brand take on Edwina, and she’s one lucky girl – she’s had an entire sportswear line designed just for her.

Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini said, “Charlotte Casiraghi introduced me to Edwina as they often compete as a team in pro-am events. As an avid rider myself, I understand the commitment required to succeed in this sport. I was immediately impressed with Edwina’s passion and dedication, which has allowed her to remain the world’s number one female rider for the last year.” Frida continued, “We will be honored to see Edwina competing in Gucci’s colors, especially at next year’s Olympic Games in London.”

Frida – who’s also a passionate horsewoman – designed the collection and Edwina called her new wardrobe, “a unique collection with technical material [used by Giannini] to make the fabric breathable for the sport and also look elegant. Everything’s made to measure and fts perfectly”. “Only Charlotte and I have the collection. It’s not on sale anywhere,” said Edwina. Lucky leading ladies!

The sponsorship was a logical extension for the design house, Edwina added, “Gucci has had a long history being involved with horses from the bit to the girth strap they designed. They’re picking up the tradition they had a long time ago and starting to build back into it again.” Edwina’s horses wear Gucci, too. The crest is stitched onto bonnets, saddle pads and blankets. The only thing missing is a snaffe bit!

Both women participate in the Global Champions Tour. Princess Charlotte’s involvement in the tour led to her signing on with Gucci in 2010. Edwina recently debuted in Gucci during the frst leg of GCT 2011 in Doha, Qatar, in March. Together, the Gucci girls wear the green and red colors proudly.

When asked about her sponsorship, Edwina said the exposure opens up the sport to the public eye. “Since I’ve had this sponsorship there has been a lot of press coverage. Obviously outside of this sport I’m not well known. I think it’s a great way to get the public interested enough to invest in our sport.” Edwina hopes her sponsorship will help the outside world to better understand show jumping. “It might bring other sponsors, too. Maybe not fashion, but other high level sponsors because it just goes to show that our sport is reaching that level”. She continued, “To have high level sponsors involved shows that it’s a competition, that we are on the same level with our sponsors and have the same prestigious look about our sport. It’s a beautiful sport and a lot of time and hard work goes into it. I’m

traveling every week to different shows around the world and I think it will attract different sponsors now”.

Saut Hermes, a Fashion Horse Show

This past April, Saut Hermes took place at le Grand Palais. The museum was transformed to bring the world’s top riders and European young riders under one glass roof. The outdoor stabling backed onto des Champs-Élysées; orange signs lined the famous avenue.

The fashion house created a unique experience for equestrian enthusiasts. Scarf and saddle-making tutorials entertained the internationally chic crowd. The “Pegasus” scarf was designed to commemorate the event. The winged-horse design was made into a sculpture that greeted spectators. The stands and arena were draped in orange cloth. Alongside the warm up, people lingered over café-au-laits and watched riders share two jumps - an oxer and vertical.

On the unique event, Edwina said, “Saut Hermes is a different style of show, but it’s also showing that equestrian horse equipment has gone back a long time. It’s very fashionable and it always has been. There are a lot of people that we don’t know about who are in some way involved with horses. It’s amazing it can bring such a connection from a wide range of people all over the world.” Fellow competitor Laura Kraut commented on the fashion horse show trend. “Here in Paris, it’s natural that Gucci and Hermes would sponsor events because this is their home territory. The sport has always been affliated with the upper crust and it’s something we’ve tried to steer away from so that it’s more accessible to everyone”.

Laura happily admitted, “I wouldn’t turn down a sponsorship with Gucci.” She also jumped at the Gucci Masters and said, “[The event] was unique because all the fences were red, green and beige.” Could America be seeing red, white and blue jumps in the future? Laura said, “Ralph Lauren should come right on! He would be perfect in America.”

F A S H I O N

A scarf making demonstration put on by Hermes drew an interested crowd