The America’s Cup demands defence, and The Louis Vuitton Cup crowns the challenger. An epic series of races, with an iconic prize, and world-renowned gold and silversmiths, Thomas Lyte, are at the helm.
Royal Warrant holders as goldsmiths and silversmiths to Her Late Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, Thomas Lyte are world-renowned bespoke trophy designers and makers. Sharing a deep-rooted relationship with the America’s Cup, Thomas Lyte are the proud makers of the Louis Vuitton Cup – the pinnacle of the Challenger Selection Series.
Based in their London workshop, Thomas Lyte are esteemed custom trophy designers and makers. The Louis Vuitton Cup was crafted, alongside the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, in one of Europe’s largest fine silver workshops. It is the latest incarnation of the striking design and joins an illustrious portfolio of Thomas Lyte-made sailing trophies.
This new trophy is an update of a previous edition, made for the first time by Thomas Lyte. Previously, the trophy would stand on a stone plinth, a decision was made to enhance its prestige and elegance with a sterling silver base. The result is a lighter trophy, that embodies a perfect balance of artistry and refinement. The plinth is now sterling silver, crafted by the master silversmiths at Thomas Lyte, and provides a proud foundation upon which the trophy stands.
Standing just below 40cm tall, the trophy exhibits the name and branding of Louis Vuitton. In a merging of two luxury brands, Thomas Lyte expertly engraved the Louis Vuitton logo onto the trophy’s body. The engraving process achieved a sharper and cleaner finish to the original to ensure the greatest possible clarity and longevity of branding. The trophy also includes 8 sails that fan around the circumference of the body, reflecting directly the designs of the boats themselves.
The sharp finish to the trophy is an expression of the exceptionally high speeds at which the boats travel across the water. Reaching speeds of up to 100km/h, the foil of the purpose built racing yachts ensures directional accuracy and razor-sharp precision throughout the race.
This is not the first trophy Thomas Lyte has made for the competition. In 2017, Thomas Lyte was given the responsibility to design and craft a new design, that would only be used once.
Dynamic in it’s design, the trophy featured a distinctive ‘V’ shape. The silhouette conveys the excitement and the clashing of sails, and is emblematic for the Louis Vuitton brand and its heritage. After a brief sponsorship hiatus, the new Louis Vuitton Cup that is exhibited here was created to celebrate the history of the competition, the continuation of Thomas Lyte’s luxury craftsmanship and the re-collaboration with Louis Vuitton.
In 1970, multiple countries expressed their desire to challenge for the America’s Cup helping to establish the format we see today. A competition was arranged to decide who should be the inaugural Challenger to face the Defender.
The Louis Vuitton Cup has become one of the most fast-paced and exciting competitions in the global sports calendar, and Thomas Lyte is understandably proud of our long-running and deep-rooted association with the event.
Thomas Lyte is proud to have designed and hand-crafted many of the sailing’s most iconic silverware to stand alongside the Louis Vuitton Cup. The SailGP Trophy stands as one of the most iconic trophies to be designed and made at our London workshop. Our association with the America’s Cup continues, too, with the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup.
Our team make the conceivable possible, while preserving traditional skills, pioneering modern methods, and promoting authentic British craft across the globe. Combining the latest technologies with centuries of knowledge, Thomas Lyte’s silver workshops in London, England house world-class facilities for an elite team of designers and makers, masters of their craft. Learn about 3D printing, electroforming and other new technologies that our team have introduced to our sustainable handcrafting process.
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Materials. Sterling silver
Workshop Processes. Spinning, Milling, Soldering, Filing, Polishing
Thomas Lyte are the proud makers of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Take a glance at these fast facts about the top prize in the Challenger Series:
