Marmöl Faces
The testimonies of those who celebrate the Dionysian nuances of the Gravel universe
The Marmöl movement has no precise nation or form. So does the Gravel movement. It’s a combination of creative minds applied to cycling, eclectic romance and nature. Where the quarries of the Botticino Marble paint every ride, every performance is overshadowed by the aesthetics, meanings and history of a unique area. To be Marmöl faces means to be Gravel lovers, sure, but it also means to be contemporary two-wheel explorers, ready to experience the wonders of a territory shaped by natural imagination, as well as human industriousness. It means choosing mental, social and sensory achievements over ephemeral results. It means sharing tracks and dj-sets. As confirmed by the words of some Marmöl Gravel 2024 protagonists.
Sami Sauri – gravel explorer, founder of The W Collective
“It was an incredible experience. I would have stayed for hours looking at the quarries. Marmöl gives you a chance to see natural wonder altered by human presence. And this mix here created crazy views. I didn’t think there could be so many people. I met friends I hadn’t seen in a very long time, even bike polo teammates I played with in Padua 15 years ago…. I laughed, had a good time and enjoyed the unhurried beauty – the perfect Sunday chill. Events like this one don’t have the pressure of a typical race and can simply inspire people. That’s why Marmöl is a brilliant format. And that’s why so many girls are here today – thanks to Marmöl they can meet and understand the real Gravel culture, and improve edition after edition. I’ll definitely come back next year. I just hope that my schedule will be ok.”
Omar Martinello – explorer, cyclist and hiking guide
“I’m a big fan of the Gravel world, because I find it to be a perfect meeting point between sport and style. It has a precise, rough soul, made of trails and exploration, and it’s involving a lot of people everywhere. Events like Marmöl allow me to discover new and old human connections. Every time it feels like going back to childhood and going to summer camp: you know some friends will be waiting for you. The Gravel would not be such a unique phenomenon without the concept of community. Marmöl is an ideal format for sharing a cool experience, it matches my idea of connection with the territory. I’m an advocate of experiences what’s close to you. In Italy we have so many unexplored spots…. This is my second participation, but it certainly won’t be my last. Drinking mulled wine in front of quarries that look like cathedrals is satisfying.”
Paolo Bettini – cycling legend, GeoGravel Tuscany founder
“A long time ago I gave up competitive cycling and dedicated myself to Gravel. I built my career quite well, but now my approach to cycling is related to the concepts of exploration and discovery. And it’s synonymous with Gravel. I’ve raced so many times in this territory, but only now I’ve had the chance to really get into it. This is the difference between Gravel and traditional cycling. The bike becomes an opportunity to come together, to celebrate something collectively. My transition was easy, because biking for me is life, but most importantly is well-being. Riding and discovering makes you feel good. Gravel events should be like Marmöl: non-competitive races where you can get lost, and appreciate what’s around you. I’m also bringing this kind of format to my homeland, in Tuscany, where I’m developing the GeoGravel project. I’m here for studying, I want to get in symbiosis with a movement that until a few years ago I didn’t really understand. The combination of party, beers, sandwiches, music and natural wonder makes cycling a fascinating playground. I’m working on this project between the Etruscan coast and Chianti: I’ve been training in my home hills for a lifetime, now I love share their beauty with others.”
Asja Paladin – former pro cyclist, Enough Collective member
“This is my third Marmöl. Once again I’m here with my collective, Enough. After 20 years of competitive cycling, I’m so happy to have the opportunity to see so many people enjoying themselves through Gravel, and to feel them around me. In Enough we believe that one bike is ‘enough’ to make anyone happy, and Marmöl confirms this thought. Here I feel part of Enough, but also part of a much larger community. Gravel has the power to be inclusive, and I’m thrilled because we have so many girls here…. A lot of us are sometimes just afraid to get on two wheels – we just need the right format for meeting and embracing the cycling culture. Gravel and events like Marmöl play a key role in changing this kind of perspectives. Then, we often travel far to discover things, but Marmöl shows how we can find interesting places near to our cities. That’s why days like these are a big W for the entire movement.”
Carlo Donadoni – Global Marketing Manager 3T
“3T has supported Marmöl from its origins. And I was lucky enough to participate starting from the first edition. Back then I remember bringing a coffee machine and making coffees for everyone. Today, the numbers have risen exponentially, but the playfulness and, most importantly, the quality of this event did the same. 3T started producing bikes in 2016 and we decided to focus on grassroots events, built by and through communities. We chose to avoid sponsorships to pro teams. Events like Marmöl match our philosophy and alternative positioning. Its success gratifies us. I live in Bergamo, nearby Brescia, yet I’d never visited these fascinating areas. Is simply inspiring to meet so many people here and watch them discover the quarries while having fun”
Dino Lanzaretti – extreme cyclist/traveler, trip creator
“Marmöl is objectively something unique. In the past I’ve seen images of quarries inside magazines or documentaries, but cycling on this valley is simply beautiful. You can see the disarming impact of human beings on nature – an imprint that’s extremely fascinating, at least here. The mountains cut by these white, layered stones made me think of a giant work of art. I’ve to be honest, so many Gravel events are springing up, but this is one of the few that continues to endure and grow over time. Marmöl engages the right people and offers tracks for everyone – this is the perfect formula. I’ve always ridden to head to a place. Here, however, I rode in order to come back to the starting point, and I liked it. As I climbed through the quarries I thought about how nice it’d be to start first and finish last, meeting and talking to all the people…. This is an ideal first approach to a style of cycling that can then evolve into harder and more difficult experiences. It’s essential, and I’ll take a lot of people with me to future editions.”
The Marmöl experience is the Gravel experience
Marmöl 2024 is the latest evolution of a unique Gravel celebration
Dust. Quarries. Light. Marmöl Gravel’s cycling celebration is back along with its unique features. We are in Brescia, we are in the home of Botticino marble. We are where times and pace cease to be essential, making room for the sharing of beauty. Among these stones, on these tracks capable of combining natural imagination and human effort, Gravel shines in its purest and most convivial meaning.
The Mille Miglia Museum, a mystical place of Italian and international automotive history, is the perfect epicenter for this Marm̦l edition and its recent evolutions Рa symbolic starting and finishing point that defines the essence of this event: an ordinary epic, an individual and collective journey that is sublimated by the connotations and morphology of hypnotic views.
On a warm Sunday morning, nearly 600 cyclists start to ride. Twice as many as last year’s edition. Some come from around the corner, others set out at dawn to be here. All of them embark on a smiling journey, divided into two tracks of 80 / 60 km. But statistics don’t matter. They are a mere data that vanishes in front of a community that wants to celebrate itself, its creative sensibilities, and an eclectic, relaxed communal vision – as organizer Niccolò Varanini explains.
“When I started Marmöl, I never imagined that it could evolve like this. I knew there was some potential, but events are unpredictable, just like babies. And Marmöl is my son. This year we started from the Mille Miglia Museum, it was definitely an organizational choice, but I think it’s important to introduce Marmöl participants to my city and its most iconic places. I don’t want the quarries and tracks to be detached from Brescia. And it’s honestly great to say, “Let’s start from the Mille Miglia Museum” – the Freccia Rossa has never ceased to arouse fascination. At the moment Marmöl is an Italian event, we are proud, because we’re a reference point for the Gravel movement in our country. This year about two hundred people didn’t come because we ran out of places, next year we will try to increase the numbers, without losing our attention to detail. In the future we might envision a further evolution into an international event…. We’ll see!”
White Turf, horseracing royalty in St. Moritz glamour
The renowned White Turf horse race portrayed by our lens
The charm of St. Moritz and its scenery is timeless. Every year since 1907, in one of the world’s most desirable tourist destinations, a unique sporting event takes shape. It combines the majestic kinetic beauty of horses with the thrill of racing and the unpredictability of snow. It’s the White Turf, an icy grand gala of international horse racing organized by the St. Moritz Racing Club – a white natural racecourse where luxury, speed and jet set come together. Our photo gallery is joined by the testimony from Swiss jockey Tim Bürgin, and the words of Christian Freiherr von der Recke, the owner of the German stable Rennstall Recke.
Tim Bürgin – Professional horse jockey
“My father was an amateur horse jockey. I grew up watching competitions and when I was 8 years old, I started riding normal horses. A few years later I moved from Switzerland to Paris and started an apprenticeship in a stable. You know, France, Italy and England are the epicenters of European horse racing. Then in 2011 I made my debut as a jockey and in 2012 I raced for the first time here, at the White Turf. It’s a special place, you never know what you can face. There is always a big crowd, a unique clamor, and we all know what an honor it is to race on these tracks. The atmosphere is beautiful, jockeys and horses experience unrepeatable sensations. The final result is an enigma, because horses’ reactions to these snowy tracks are unpredictable. Those who are faster in regular races may not necessarily be faster here. The pace is higher, and you can’t rely on tactics.
Christian Freiherr von der Recke – Trainer/Owner of Rennstall Recke Stable
“White Turf lives in an unparalleled location. Every now and then I have to pinch myself to realize where I am. I was here, in St. Moritz, just a few months ago. It was summer and you could swim in the lake, there were rowers and there was a half marathon. Now everything is frozen, even in the stands. I train my horses satisfying their needs. Every morning I wake up and talk to them, figure out what they prefer to do. These tracks can be scary for some horses, especially inexperienced ones, so you have to really know them. But at the end of the day, you can only find out here if a horse wants to run in the snow or not. It’s so hard to choose the right jockey for the right horse, and for the right race. That’s why winning a race is so complex, and it is always a pleasure to win one. My horses have won 2,200 times, but I have lost 9,000 races. One success every four races. That’s why the feeling of winning is always great, especially here.”
Marmöl, a gravel celebration
We’re once again the Media Partner of Marmöl Gravel
Marmöl is a celebration of Dionysian gravel cycling. It’s the discovery of the Botticino marble quarrying territory, an individual and collective experience in a magical area of Brescia, where quarries and nature come together with conscious cycling. Marmöl isn’t a race, it’s an event where the exploration of human connections, underrated landscapes and simple conviviality are worth much more than times and results. We’ll be Media Partner of Marmöl Gravel again this year, and on February 25th we’ll portray its protagonists and meanings. For now, you can enjoy the gallery from the past edition and read some testimonies. Visit the Marmöl website if you want to find out something more about this event.
Behind the Lights - Matt Moran
Images elevate athletic movement in this British photographer's visual pursuit
Movement leads to an exploration of ourselves and our surroundings, but also of visual creativity. The lens of this British photographer is an experimental laboratory where his work often intersects with sports. Moran’s gallery is a flow of sensations and hues elevated by movement, and vice versa; a lengthy, ongoing journey between echoes of legendary photographers and contemporary, sometimes even anticipatory, style choices.
“I’ve always felt photography around me. It’s something I’ve always been interested in and developed over time, especially in my college days when I could travel, surround myself with people with similar tastes, and discover many different print techniques. Magnum photographers were the first I was inspired by, as well as contemporary American classics, such as Alec Soth. As for sports, I played rugby when I was young, then moved to London and took up cycling. During the pandemic, I began running a lot in the Devon countryside with my brother. Over the years, I’ve been an assistant for several fashion photographers, so during those runs, I got the idea to connect artistic-fashion photography to running and other sports I love, like cycling. As a kid, I spent hours watching the Tour de France on TV…”
Exploration is about details and curiosity, Matt explains. In a great sporting event, significant details always go unnoticed. In a great athlete, there is always an aesthetic and narrative key that no one has found. His images tell this tale through fragments of a futuristic running culture, an uncharacteristic side to cycling, and a limitless celebration of movement.
“Working for other photographers has given me the confidence to approach different styles. I like to blur, use flash and distinctive elements, angles and colors. My photos are an accumulation of everything that inspires me, and I think it’s somewhat liberating not to be tied to an immovable aesthetic. Every project and event determines my aesthetic direction. Oftentimes, I don’t even have a brief; I simply react to what’s in front of me. I think everything around performance is intriguing: the lights, the starting gun, the tech, and the little details that only a few notice… Getting under the skin of each athlete, performance and scenario is exciting.”
The Glasgow World Cycling Championships, Rory Leonard’s tests, the London Marathon, Hoka, and wander, and Dosnoventa: Moran’s creative flow touches on sports on so many different levels; it is nurtured and empowered by it, and allows him to waltz between reportage and artistic-fashion invention, in part thanks to his meticulous postproduction effort.
“I’ve always been exposed to the fashion world, and I find its influence on sports imagery positive, especially from a photographic point of view. A lot of my personal work has led to collaborations with brands – I feel the time is right for brands to open up to different photographic perspectives. Everything seems connected somehow, and I try to have the same approach for all projects. A short while ago, I shot the Great North Run in Newcastle, where I live with my girlfriend. That project led to a commissioned work on the Night of the 10k PB, a fanzine, and finally a shoot in Japan for and wander… I love to experience and share my work as a scrapbook, where postproduction plays a key role. So much of my work comes after shooting, and I really enjoy laboring over color gradations, the treatment of each shot, and the print process.”
“I would love to photograph the Olympics in Paris,” Moran concludes. He tells us about his present and future, split between long runs in the north of England, where he covers 50 miles (80 kilometers) each week, and shoots around the globe, “And I’d love to follow an athlete for a long-term project, like during the lead-up to a major event. I’m intrigued by the idea of working with a young talent and watching them become a star. UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) and running culture in Kenya are two other things that fascinate me. I also want to run the London Marathon in under 2 hours 40…. We’ll see what happens!”
Functionality, sport, and design in the mind of Hiroshi Nozawa
The visionary founder of Norbit talks about his relationship with the outdoors and sports imagery channeled into the hiking-themed capsule developed with KARHU
The new frontier of aesthetics is functionality. This assumption may seem paradoxical but is made explicit in the research of Hiroshi Nozawa and his futuristic brand, Norbit. It is no coincidence that the philosophical origins of this Japanese designer, capable of fusing beauty, culture and pragmatism, took root in sports. It is again no coincidence that hiking, fishing, and other action sports are the cornerstones of his progressive output.
‘Field, Journey, Chill-Out,’ this haiku-esque claim comprises the essence of Nozawa, his active relationship with the outdoors, and his fashion vision. That vision is echoed in the unique capsule collection ‘Have a Nice Hike,’ produced in synergy with KARHU. “I’ve always wanted to produce more than just fashion attire,” Nozawa confesses, “When I design garments, I think of them as tools that allow me to do as many things as possible. In my vision, waterproof shoes, for example, have the same value as a fishing rod. Everything is functional, and everything revolves around functionality.”
An avid hiker, fisherman, traveler, and contemplator of nature, Nozawa transforms everyday epiphanies into hybrid designs that combine the need for survival and comfort dictated by nature with innovative forms and materials, even for high-end fashion. “The outdoors and everything that comes from it are my great passions. That’s why I want everything I design to be equally usable by those in contact with nature as those who stay in the city.” Nozawa continues, shifting the focus to another topic close to his heart: sports culture, “I am a sport-minded person, and, like many of us from Japan, I love action sports. In collaborating with KARHU, I wanted to respect that incredible sports heritage that the brand enjoys. ‘Have a Nice Hike’ revolves around the desire to connect the tradition of an iconic sports brand with the best in contemporary technical materials.”
A master of rational harmony, Nozawa is a skilled material craftsman who, after collaborating with renowned Japanese companies like Columbia Black Label and Snow Peak, is now devoting his energy to the exaltation of a functional paradigm. “The ‘Have a Nice Hike’ collection obviously focuses on the concept of hiking. In this case, functionality is related to detail, like the pockets. I don’t like to carry backpacks or bags while hiking, so I decided to add several pockets on the various garments, paying close attention to the functionality of the fabrics used: I often use stretch materials because they are essential for comfort, but in this case, they would have been unnecessary… Each part of the garment has its specific purpose and must be designed to best achieve that purpose. Everything must have a reason.”Â
“This kind of creative and stylistic process can be applied to any sport or physical activity,” Nozawa continues. “Snowboarding, surfing, BMX…. In the future, I’m going to launch lines dedicated to and inspired by these and other disciplines. I strongly believe that typical sportswear and more technical fabrics can be made fashionable and worn in everyday life.” However, the future of this alchemist and inventor of silhouettes is not limited to the creative direction of a new, futuristic fashion-sport dimension; it is the desire to leave a legacy for future generations. Nozawa scribbles down that legacy daily in his trusty sketchbook, where every insight takes shape, every material is already imagined and every function already established.Â
“My goal is to lay new foundations for the fashion world, to build foundations for its future. I would be happy if, a century from now, people still respected my work and if new generations fully understood the concepts I was trying to convey, and then repurposed them in turn. This is the direction I have taken.”
LVMH X Paris 2024, French savoir-faire means sport
LVMH's sponsorship of the upcoming Olympics is just the latest leg of a long journey where luxury is synonymous with victory
Victory, like the production of an object, is the result of an inexhaustible repetition of movements. And every athlete, just like a craftsman, is the creator of a continuous succession of actions devoted to triumph. In ‘Artisans of All Victories,’ the concept coined by LVMH that links the luxury group to the sporting imaginary, athletes and artisans share more than just a common role. According to this creative-competitive vision, sportsmen and luxury masters share a flair, a thought and an innate as well as learned talent for creating dreams.
‘The art of creating dreams’ represents the group’s mission in the universe of the XXXIII Olympic Games, the third Parisian chapter after 1900 and 1924. And exactly a century later, the Olympics represent a new and renewed opportunity to exhibit to the world the value and quality of the French capital savoir faire.
The same savoir faire that Luis Vuitton and the entire LVMH group share, and which they’ve decided to sublimate with a unique sponsorship. 150 million euros, three maisons-LV, Dior, and Berluti-as well as Sephora and Chaumet, with the beauty brand being promoted to official partner of the Olympic torchlight run and the historic French jewelry company being chosen to produce the medals.
This sponsorship makes the group and its brands a bridge between fashion and sports, confirming a special connection that is rooted not only in a growing trend, but also in a unity of purpose – artisans and athletes, both engaged in a constant and irrepressible quest for perfection.
The athletes selected by LVMH for Paris 2024 embody the value and spirit of the luxury group, and are summed up by the title ‘artisans of all victories,’ representing the luxury that is synonymous with victory, dreams, perseverance and tenacity. Léon Marchand, Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos, Enzo Lefort, and Pauline Déroulède have become the perfect faces to convey the bond between the French group and the sporting element. They are the ambassadors of a mentality that step by step, leaves everything behind with the sole purpose of pursuing the greatest results.
The same great achievements that Luis Vuitton has been coasting for more than 30 years. Because the brand’s relationship with sports and its symbols has spanned history, marking the most coveted moment for every athlete: reaching a trophy. Football, rugby, sailing, tennis, basketball and Formula 1: V for victory is also V for Vuitton. Trophy trunks made by the French brand have long encapsulated the entire essence of effort, sweat, sacrifice, suffering, joy and recognition that are part of every winner’s journey. And for the brand born in 1884 in Asnières, which is inextricably linked to the experience of travel, celebrating the most iconic moment in sports seems natural.
The Ballon d’Or and the last four football World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022) have traveled in an LV-branded trunk, just like two of the last rugby World Cups (2015, 2023) and, since 2020, the Larry O’Brien NBA trophy.
But Luis Vuitton’s history in celebrating sporting triumphs has far more distant origins. Indeed, in 1983 the French brand sponsored the selection regatta between the America’s Cup winning team and its challengers: the Luis Vuitton Cup. The luxury maison has always looked with enthusiasm to the nautical tradition, collaborating with the America’s Cup itself over the years to create the iconic trunk of the world’s oldest international trophy.
The trophy cases handcrafted by the artisans of the Asnières atelier, with a technical and creative effort that can sometimes exceed 400 hours of work, have always been customized according to the type of cup they were intended to contain. One of the most iconic examples is undoubtedly the Davis Cup: in 2019, the trophy was presented at the final round of the men’s tennis World Cup inside a circular trunk covered in the unmistakable Monogram Mocassar canvas and embellished with numerous leather details. Equipped with a giant base, the chest is one of the most iconic testimonies to the Parisian brand’s mastery of enshrining the symbols of sporting success. In tennis, Luis Vuitton has also made the trophy cases for Roland Garros and, more recently, the Australian Open.
The French fashion house’s universal experience also led it to collaborate in the world of motorsport, first with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and then with Formula 1.
In the world of sports, Luis Vuitton’s role is not just tied to the epithet “keeper of victory”. Because in the vision of the maison, as well as in its DNA, the value and importance of travel are ingrained. Even in the sporting element, the exaltation of a journey takes prominence by celebrating that set of stories and moments that go beyond the one component of triumph. Rivalry, strength, style, legend, evolution. In the shots and campaigns of the French brand there is all this and more.
Some tangible examples are Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi who on the eve of their last World Cup play their last and most important chess match, sealing the greatest antagonism of our time, or Carlos Alcaraz who in a marriage of fashion and style exhibits his baggage of equipment and memorabilia crossing the boundaries of tennis, becoming the symbol of evolution and a journey just beginning. From those destined to become legends to those who are already the face of sports epics, such as Lebron James.
Any fusion of sports and luxury is, for Luis Vuitton, an exaltation of style. A style that is not only aesthetic, but also athletic: the savoir faire that every sportsman holds. Like Eileen Gu, freestyle skier who was chosen by the fashion house to tell the imagery of the iconic Luis Vuitton Twist.
LVMH x Paris 2024 marks not only the largest economic commitment to support a sporting event for a company, but also the natural evolution of a relationship that for Luis Vuitton has always represented throughout history an intersection of excellence. A crossover celebrated movement after movement in the Asnières atelier exactly as it is on the playing fields around the world.
Watchlist - Six Nations: Full Contact
The Netflix series celebrating rugby and its most legendary event
The famous Welsh actor Richard Burton defined rugby as “a wonderful show: dance, opera, and suddenly the blood of a killing.” And the magnificent spectacle of rugby reaches its climax at its most legendary act, the Six Nations. Following the example of similar formats focused on other sports, in ‘Six Nations: Full Contact’ Netflix visits the behind-the-scenes of this mystical event and portrays its atypical characters.
Freddie Steward, Finn Russell, Ellis Genge, Marcus Smith, Sebastian Porter, and Sebastian Negri are just some of the human mountains exposed by the US platform’s cameras: war machines who share muscles and pain, but also insecurities and atypical existential paths. Private lives and mythological stages, such as Twickenham, alternate in a tasty documentary series populated by ordinary superhumans, personal memories, collective emotions and locker room beers. ‘Six Nations: Full Contact’ is a necessary dive into rugby culture, a production capable of bringing mainstream audiences closer to a precious sport and its varied personalities. That’s why it rightfully enters our Watchlist.
The colors of the African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations is synonymous with passion, fans and colorful creativity
“Africa is a state of mind. I work in Europe, but I dream in Africa,” recounted one of the greatest footballers in modern history, Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o.
The unique, unmistakable African state of mind emerges during a unifying event like the African Cup of Nations (AFCON). While the African Cup of Nations is generally experienced as an exotic and almost unknown football parenthesis, this event unleashes the essence, magic and, why not, esoteric undertones of an entire continent.
Morocco is hosting the current AFCON, once again becoming a stage for a football dream shaped by colour, passion and distinctive creativity. This image gallery does not celebrate players or managers, but the co-stars of this continental competition: the fans of the various national teams and their eclectic football passion.