This spring, after attending the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week, the fencer and Olympic silver medalist Sara Balzer was announced as an ambassador for the brand. The following month, she appeared on the cover of French Elle alongside Pauline Déroulède, a wheelchair tennis player, and Marie Patouillet, a para-cyclist.
The same week, the modern pentathlete Élodie Clouvel, also an Olympic silver medalist, appeared at the Hermès show and on the cover of Madame Figaro magazine, fencing foil in hand, wearing a white bodysuit, gold shin guards, swim goggles and an equestrian helmet as a belt.
Being a champion tends to open doors to other realms. But landing a front-row seat at some of the hottest shows in Paris — or a coveted contract — doesn’t just fall from the sky. Even when your home country is hosting the Olympic Games. That’s where L’Agence Magnifique comes in.
Also known as L’AM — an acronym that plays on the French word for soul — the fledgling agency specializes in “image architecture” for elite athletes. It introduced Dior to Ms. Balzer, Balenciaga to the French judo champion Teddy Riner, and placed the French rugby star Cameron Woki in the front row at Sacai, Hermès and Loewe. Ms. Clouvel’s Madame Figaro cover was shot by Joseph Degbadjo, one of L’AM’s principals, who is also a fashion photographer.
