Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton is fast becoming a regular on the fashion circuit.
If romantic links to Rihanna and Kendall Jenner weren’t enough to jump the velvet rope, the British 30-year-old counts Riccardo Tisci and Olivier Rousteing among his friends. Even though one of his Etro ensembles didn’t measure up to Wimbledon’s dress code this summer, he became a London Collections: Men ambassador just the same.
After catching up with his new friend Gayle King at Ellen DeGeneres’ pop-up store party at Bergdorf Goodman, Hamilton breezed by Moncler’s “Art for Love” celebration at the New York Public Library. There the Monaco-based driver had a good long chat with the brand’s leader Remo Ruffini and his wife Anna Imponente about their respective summer sun and fun.
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Hamilton started racing 22 years ago at the age of eight. His most recent Formula One race was the fastest one to date, with drivers hovering around 230 mph. In total, he has 40 Grand Prix titles to date. Off hours though on the open road, he doesn’t “really drive much. It’s easier being driven.” Hamilton said. “I ride a motorbike most of the time. And generally I’m in my shorts and T-shirt in Monaco so I’m not going fast.”
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With a reported $140 million Formula One deal with Mercedes through 2018, Hamilton has other ties to New York Fashion Week. Wearing a Dsquared2 patterned jacket with a tank top and jeans, Hamilton said he is really just getting involved with fashion — “I love it.” Making the rounds with his stylist Elena Ayala, Hamilton said Dolce & Gabbana, Cole Haan, Givenchy, Moncler and John Varvatos are some of his favorite labels.
But Formula One is his main priority. Hamilton first was intrigued by the sport as a child, due to the legendary Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna, who subsequently died in 1994. “I started watching Formula One with my dad when I was five. And Senna was the guy I wanted to be. I always wanted to emulate him,” Hamilton said. “He won three world championships and I’m fighting for my third world championship right now. I’m leading the championship and I’ve got three more races to go. And I’ve got to grab it. That’s my current goal to match him.”
“Hopefully, after that, if I work hard enough to get it, there will be steps toward more championships. I’ve still got more or less seven years in Formula One,” he added.
Before flying to Singapore next week for the upcoming Grand Prix there, Hamilton is at ease with the New York fashion crowd. “I’ve been coming out to the fashion weeks. I love fashion week. I’ve been to the one in Paris and I’ve just come here.”
Despite being photographed relaxing with Rihanna in recent months, Hamilton said, “I’ve known Ri for a long time. We’re just friends. No, we don’t talk about fashion. If we happen to be in the same place, we say hi. We hang maybe — it’s just a friendship.”
As for King, Hamilton said they met through Mellody Hobson, the president of Chicago-based Ariel Investments. “Gayle is a lovely girl. She’s started to come to some of the races with us. She’s come to Montreal and Monaco. She’s coming to Austin next month so I’ve got her hooked,” he said, though the “CBS This Morning” host has yet to interview him.
Along with his oversize diamond earrings and gold chains, Hamilton is a fan of tattoos including a prominent one around his neck that reads “Powerful beyond measure.” “It’s part of a quote that I took from Marianne Williamson,” he said, referring to the “Our Deepest Fear” author. “It was Nelson Mandela’s favorite quote and it’s my favorite quote so I took a small part of it.”
Hamilton is also trying to channel some of that strength to another one of his idols, Michael Schumacher, who was severely injured in a ski accident in December 2013. “He is also one of the legends in our sport….We’re still hopeful that he’s going to pull through.”