LVMH is going for sneakers. The world's largest luxury goods company is reportedly eyeing a possible investment in Stadium Goods, an exclusive American online retailer for “authenticated” sneakers that has been collaborating with the likes of Supreme and Off-White, the company founded in 2013 by Virgil Abloh, the 37-year-old designer who has just been appointed artistic director for menswear at Louis Vuitton. He started off ten years ago as creative adviser to Kanye West. Off-White has signed many Nike sneakers, and its recent re-edition of the Air Jordan 1 was named “sneaker of the year” for 2017. Louis Vuitton's interest in sneakers proved very successful through its recent collaboration with Supreme, which also signed last year a line of handbags and daypacks with Vuitton. Both Supreme and Off-White have put out original luggage items in collaboration with Rimowa, another recent acquisition of LVMH. The takeover of Stadium Goods would be made through LVMH Ventures, an investment vehicle for start-ups launched by the French luxury giant last year. Stadium Goods was founded three years ago as a physical store in the SoHo district of New York. It has since evolved into an online marketplace, with ties to eBay and China's TMall. The founders are Jed Stiller, who sold his own retail analytics company to Groupon in 2014, and John McPheters, former business development manager of Flight Club, a retailer of vintage sneakers. Last January, Stadium Goods raised $4.6 million in a round of venture funding from various investors.

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