The Man Behind The Suit

Alex Thomson Is Embarking on His Fifth Vendée Globe Campaign. Helen Fretter Found Out What Drives Him

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Everyone knows Alex Thomson. He’s not only one of the most immediately recognisable IMOCA 60 skippers, but one of the few sailors who have managed to transcend the sport and – very nearly – become a household name. He’s done mid-ocean live link-ups with BBC Breakfast news, millions have watched his Keelwalk, Mastwalk and Skywalk videos on social media, he’s hung out with Lewis Hamilton and appeared in glossy magazines like GQ.

He’s the one with the monochromatic boats, the slick suits, the crazy stunts. He was the wunderkind who became the youngest ever skipper to win the Clipper Round the World Race in 1999 aged just 25. He has big budget campaigns with a huge marketing profile, he talks a good game, and is not shy of sharing his confidence in his own abilities. He’s had one of the most spectacular and public runs of misfortune; sinking, capsized, hit by a fishing boat, coming down with appendicitis 24 hours before the start of a race. But he’s also twice smashed the 24-hour world sailing speed record.

So all that must make Thomson a big talent, a big ego, who pushes his boats too hard and takes too many risks, right? Well, that – partly – is his public persona. But personas can only ever be a cartoon sketch of a person. And Alex, with his Milk Tray man suits and James Bond-styled boat, is easily drawn.

As a marketing strategy, it’s brilliant. It has made Alex Thomson and his succession of Hugo Boss IMOCA 60s (six at last count) one of the most recognisable, consistent and high profile brands in sports sponsorship. Up to a certain point, it suits him. He is charismatic, super-confident, fiercely competitive, and a little bit flash.