Team USA swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, fronts Louis Vuitton’s new Core Values campaign.

The 27-year-old, arguably the biggest star of the London Olympics, appears in a new campaign promoting the brand’s high-end range of day bags and luggage.

Shot by Annie Leibovitz, Phelps appears only in a black speedo and some goggles, submerged in a stark bathtub beside a Vuitton tote.

Andrew Lewicki knows that people have gotten used to seeing luxury brands extend their influence into other industries.

From bicycles to tennis, rugby, football and golf balls, not to mention every kind of object and gadget, luxury brands have left their stamp on a multitude of products.

This time, fashionistas who are already dreaming of soft, yummy, branded waffles in the morning will have to wait, as this branded waffle maker is not for sale.

Here is a brand new ad from Louis Vuitton for the Fall/Winter 2012 campaign, featuring model Wernery Schreyer photographed by Alasdair McLellan.

Clad in an over­size jacket embell­ished with a graphic pat­tern, matched with sim­ple grey trousers and a refined leather bag, Werner poses against a thousand-​​y​​o iceberg.

The UK has topped a ranking of countries with the highest affinity for luxury handbags, while labels including Coach, Louis Vuitton and Chanel top a compilation of the most searched luxury handbag brands globally.

This first digital analysis of the luxury handbag market, dubbed World Luxury Index Handbags, has been presented by Paris-based luxury executives’ online community Luxury Society and international company Digital Luxury Group.

LVMH has opened a Louis Vuitton jewelry store on Paris’ Place Vendome, in an effort to expand the brand’s image within in the global luxury jewelry market.

“The store and the workshop are an important step, a foundational decision, indicating that we look ahead with optimism,” said Hamdi Chatti, Director of the group’s jewelry and watches divisions, as quoted by Reuters.

Louis Vuitton has launched “The Art of Packing,” a branded video designed to help travellers optimise their luggage space.

LV is showing the functionality of its Alzer, Pégase and Keepall suitcases and items that are necessary to bring on a trip such in this interactive experience.

The experience allows you to interact with the items and follow the folding instructions step by step, or simply play the video below and watch the process.