This week, we’re taking a look at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which begins on Thursday and runs through the weekend. A plethora of fashion, beauty and skin-care brands are hosting brand activations on-site at the race, reflecting the sport’s growing popularity among women.
This week, motorsports fans from around the world are gathering in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2025 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which runs from November 20-22. Created in 2023, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is the most recent race added to the Formula 1 schedule. It’s representative of the sport’s continued ascendance in American culture.
While Glossy has written about the ways that fashion brands have embraced Formula 1 for creative and licensed partnerships, the increasing number of races being held in the U.S. is allowing for more race-day activations in the form of pop-up shops connected to the track, brand-hosted VIP rooms and parties, and gifted product to both drivers and influential guests.
This is the first year that the U.S. has hosted three races — the other two were in Dallas and Miami — and makes it the country with the most F1 races this year. There are 24 Grands Prix total this year, and while most — 10 races — are in Europe, they’re spread across several countries. The Vegas Grand Prix, in particular, became Las Vegas’s most lucrative annual event last year with an economic impact of nearly $1 billion.
The number of brand activations on site in Las Vegas this week is vast, as well as diverse, according to content creator Macy Broyles. She’s at the event on the invitation of the energy drink brand Celsius, which is a sponsor of one of the teams, Scuderia Ferrari.
“There are pop-ups on the ground and brand activations before and after the race,” Broyles told Glossy. “Formula 1 races are comparable to other sports events like the Kentucky Derby, but they’re unique, too. There are luxury brands, energy drinks, alcohol brands and, obviously, car companies. It brings in a lot of celebrities, athletes and brand executives. You can look down the paddock and see all sorts of influential people.”
The brands in attendance include Formula 1 stalwarts like Pacsun and IWC, as well as newly added brands like A Bathing Ape and Bioderma. Jeremy Bayen, the North American CEO of Bioderma’s parent company, the NAOS Group, told Glossy that the appeal of Formula 1 to brands is that it’s still a relatively open field.
“We started reflecting on sports’ influence on our modern age,” Bayen said. “We started looking into what sports were a right fit for the brand’s values and its DNA, and that wouldn’t be too spoiled or busy with other similar brands. We looked at tennis, skiing, golf, women’s basketball — all wonderful sports, but they have a lot of involvement from other brands in our category.”
Bioderma currently has seven people on-site in Las Vegas, including Bayen, and has both sample and full-size products on hand to gift to VIPs who come by its trackside booth. Bayen said Bioderma signed the contract with Formula 1 only five weeks ago and considers the partnership an experiment, with its success determining whether the brand pursues more F1 partnerships in the future. Bioderma is working with influencers on-site, including Kim Raver (1.8 million Instagram followers) and Marco Zamora (2.1 million followers), and plans to use customer acquisition rates and posts from influential people, including drivers, as a measure of success.
Pacsun, on the other hand, has been working closely with Formula 1 as an official apparel partner, releasing a new F1 collection every year since 2022. This year, Pacsun didn’t participate in the Las Vegas event, but it did host an on-site pop-up shop at the previous F1 race in Texas in mid-October.
“Since partnering with Formula 1 in 2022 as one of its first fashion partners, we’ve made it a priority to show up on-site at as many races as possible,” said Pacsun chief merchandising officer Richard Cox. “Over the years, we’ve gone trackside in Austin, popped up at Miami hotspots and hosted major activations in Vegas at the F1 Fanzone. Any chance to engage with existing customers or new fans across the country is something we jump at, and we’re excited to bring that same experience to some new locations for the first time soon.”
This year, several brands are collaborating directly with Formula 1 on a collection of co-branded merchandise. Notably, that includes two streetwear and sportswear brands: Malbon Golf and A Bathing Ape. Malbon had previously made an appearance at last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, while Bape is showing up for the first time. Both brands will be part of an on-site shopping activation called the F1 Hub, being hosted at The Venetian hotel.
The increasing number of brand collaborations and activations reflects Formula 1’s steadily growing audience in the U.S., particularly among women. Three out of every four new Formula 1 fans this year is female, according to Formula 1.
“I went to the Miami Grand Prix two years ago, and then six months later, I saw the movie ‘F1,’” Broyles said. “It was my first time going to a race, and I was pretty unfamiliar with it at the time. But it was so exciting, and F1 is so visually appealing, I think my audience really enjoys seeing it and all the luxury lifestyle elements around it.”
Stat of the week
As Black Friday approaches, more data points are emerging about how customers are shopping this year. According to Syndigo, a retail data analytics company, 45% of shoppers are now using AI for product research, up 14 points from 2024. Other reports show similarly high numbers. Boston Consulting Group, for example, reported that 79% of consumers will likely use AI to aid their shopping this season. Regardless of the exact number, brands and retailers are already making adjustments to accommodate how people are shopping with AI.
News to know
- MyTheresa parent LuxExperience reported revenue declines of 10-16% at its Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter businesses, which offset the 12% gain in the MyTheresa business.
- France is investigating the secondhand fashion marketplace Vinted over its alleged failures to prevent minors from accessing adult content. It is one of several recent investigations from French authorities into various non-French platforms, including the Chinese retailer Shein.
- About 100 workers at Swatch in Turkey are on strike, demanding better pay and fewer hours. The unions are demanding raises of at least 30%, while Swatch is counter-offering with less than 20% and dismissing the union’s other demands.
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