How Eileen Gu made over US$30 million in luxury endorsements – the Chinese Winter Olympics ski star broke bank as the face of Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton in 2021

Feb 14 , 2022

Eileen Gu’s earning potential has shot up after winning gold for China at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Photo: @eileen_gu/Instagram

Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

US-born model athlete Eileen Gu is the face of at least 23 brands in China, with her popularity soaring since winning gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

Chinese social media users see Gu as style inspiration and search for products she endorses, with her broad appeal compared to former NBA star Jeremy Lin

Open China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo, and most of the pop-up ads have one thing in common: Eileen Gu.

Even before the US-born athlete won a gold medal for China in the women’s freeski big air competition on February 8, she’d already become the face of multiple brands across sport, fashion and banking.

Gold medallist Eileen Gu Ailing of China celebrates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Photo: Reuters

Some of her partnerships include global luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, as well as Chinese milk company Mengniu and coffee chain Luckin Coffee. In total, she fronts at least 23 brands, Shanghai-based media outlet Yicai Global said.

Eileen Gu posing for Louis Vuitton’s autumn/winter 2021 campaign. Photo: @eileen_gu/Instagram

As Chinese luxury publication Jing Daily put it, the 18-year-old is “China’s hottest commodity”.

But just how much money have these deals made?

She raked in US$31.4 million from brand endorsements in 2021

A JD.com advertisement with an image of freestyle skier Eileen Gu is seen at a bus stop in Beijing earlier this year. Photo: Reuters

According to Shanghai-based market research firm CBN Data, the California-born athlete raked in more than 200 million yuan (US$31.4 million) last year alone from brand endorsements.