Article Summary: Charles Leclerc fashion has quietly outgrown the Ferrari paddock. A new WWD interview finds the driver reversing his own verdict on Maison Margiela Tabis, while running a clothing line, a creative studio and two major ambassador deals. Here is how Formula 1 became a luxury proposition.
He said no to Margiela Tabis at his very first fitting. Four years later, he says the shoe changed his mind rather than the other way around. That reversal is the most useful thing anyone in Formula 1 has said about fashion this year.
Charles Leclerc’s fashion has become a genuine luxury story rather than a paddock sidebar. The Ferrari driver works with stylist Carlotta Constant, runs his own clothing line and creative studio, and holds ambassador deals with Chivas Regal and L’Oréal Paris. He told WWD on August 21, 2026, that repeated exposure finally changed his mind about Tabis.
Why Does Charles Leclerc Fashion Matter Now?
Because the timing is unusually precise, he gave the interview during Formula 1’s summer break, and it was published on the Friday of the season’s twelfth round — the final Dutch Grand Prix 2026 at Zandvoort before the circuit leaves the calendar.
Millions of people are searching for his name this weekend for reasons unrelated to clothes. Consequently, a style story published now sits inside a traffic wave built by sport, which is a lane almost no fashion title contests.
The commercial logic is equally clear. Formula 1’s audience skews younger, wealthier and more global than it did a decade ago, and luxury houses have noticed exactly that.
Key Takeaways
- Leclerc sits fourth in the 2026 World Drivers’ Championship, two places behind his Scuderia teammate Lewis Hamilton.
- Stylist Carlotta Constant first offered him Margiela Tabis at their opening fitting; he declined, then reversed himself by August 2026.
- He faces grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura at the 2026 Monza Grand Prix, playing SE!ZE, a strategy game he co-created with James Wallis.
The Tabi Reversal Is the Whole Story
The Maison Margiela Tabi is fashion’s most reliable literacy test. Its split toe divides people instantly, and that friction is precisely what makes it a marker rather than a shoe.
Constant told WWD last October that she tried to put him in a pair at their very first fitting. He laughed and answered, “Maybe one day — but not quite yet.”
Asked about it again this week, he described his initial reaction plainly. His response had been “OK, no, that’s too different” — and then, he explained, looking at something repeatedly gradually opens the mind.
He extended the same principle to travel. When he dislikes something, he digs into the reasoning behind it, and he frequently ends up liking it once he understands the intent. Japan and China, he said, are where he goes to find new ideas in architecture and street style.
That is a designer’s process described by a racing driver. Notably, it is also the honest answer to how anyone acquires taste — repetition, context, then preference.
Carlotta Constant Built the Framework
Constant is the connective tissue here. She has styled Lewis Hamilton, David Beckham, Didier Drogba and Zlatan Ibrahimović, and she has become the single most influential figure in current F1 driver style.
Her method is deliberately conservative at the entry point. She introduces new houses while staying within a client’s existing preferences for fit and shape, then broadens the range once trust is established.
From resistance to fluency
Leclerc described that arc directly. Early on, he pushed back when she went too far; now those same pieces are the ones he enjoys most.
The relationship has since become frictionless. She knows his colors and his fits, and the conversations move quickly because the vocabulary is shared.
That progression matters beyond one driver. Brands have historically dressed athletes, whereas Leclerc is being taught to choose — and a client who can choose becomes a long-term luxury customer rather than a seasonal billboard.
Ferrari Is the Uniform, Not the Identity
Ferrari red is the most recognizable uniform in sport. It is also the least personal thing Leclerc wears.
Everything outside the race suit now carries his own signature. He is fourth in the championship this season, chasing a Scuderia revival, yet his public identity has broadened well past the car.
CL16, Side Quest and the business layer
The infrastructure is already built. He runs the CL16 clothing line, and he heads the Side Quest creative studio, which produces his campaign work.
Then come the partnerships. Chivas Regal moved him from conventional ambassador to co-creator, first on the Chivas Regal 16 whisky in Scotland, and then on SE!ZE, the strategy game he developed with board game designer James Wallis. L’Oréal Paris followed.
The Hikaru Nakamura chess match at Monza extends the pattern. Leclerc has said he does not expect to win, which is a revealing admission from a competitive athlete and a smart one from a brand.
His personal life is shifting too. His wife, Alexandra Leclerc, is expecting, and he told WWD his life will change considerably before 2027.
Zandvoort Is the Wrong Weekend to Be Subtle
The paddock has become the most-photographed non-runway venue in sport. Drivers now arrive for a pit-lane walk that functions exactly like a step-and-repeat, and the images travel further than those from most editorial shoots.
Luxury menswear 2026 has responded accordingly. Houses are placing product on drivers rather than only on actors, because the appearance cadence is weekly across nine months rather than concentrated in an awards season.
This is the same crossover logic that reshaped World Cup celebrity style and the one now driving heritage labels such as Nigel Cabourn back into relevance. Sport supplies the calendar; fashion supplies the wardrobe.
Formula 1 fashion also solves a problem luxury has struggled with for years. It reaches a large male audience without asking that audience to engage with a runway.
What Comes Next
Monza is the date to watch. The chess match will generate crossover coverage unrelated to lap times, and Leclerc will be styled accordingly.
Fatherhood will reshape the schedule after that. Athletes typically narrow their commercial commitments as families grow, so 2027 may reveal which of these ventures he genuinely values.
The Tabi question remains open, which is the fun part. He has admitted the shoe won the argument without confirming he owns a pair, and the paddock will notice the moment he does. For the designers, houses, and crossover moments defining the season, trust the fashion designers’ coverage at Runway Magazine.
External reporting: WWD’s August 21 interview with Charles Leclerc and WWD’s October profile of stylist Carlotta Constant.
