DAMAC Properties, a Dubai-based developer, has also been keen on these partnerships. In 2017, it opened a 28-floor residential tower
in Beirut featuring Versace interiors. Now, they are preparing two new fashion-forward developments in London and Dubai.
“We strive to create associations with renowned luxury brands, including fashion houses, that appeal to certain audiences,” DAMAC Senior Vice President Niall McLoughlin said in an email to Mansion Global. “These are
bespoke products, so it’s not every day one has the opportunity to own a branded home to live in or as an investment.”
At the 50-story AYKON London One, apartments feature a marble V in the entryway’s floor, as well as Versace branding on some of the floorboards and the bathroom’s backsplash, according to Christian de Meillac,, a listing
agent with Harrods Estates who is responsible for a number of the building’s apartments. Units range from £747,000 (US$1.06 million) for a studio, to £15.49 million (US$22 million) for a 15-bedroom apartment occupying
an entire floor, listings show. The penthouses have not yet been released to market.
In Dubai, the three-bedroom, four-bathroom Just Cavalli villas scheduled to open in 2020 start at a relative bargain of AED1.3 million (US$354,000). Located within the planned Akoya Oxygen community outside of the city center, the Just
Cavalli villas will utilize Roberto Cavalli’s signature animal prints and earthy hues in both the interior fabrics and wallcoverings as well as the exterior stonework, according to Mr. McLoughlin.
By teaming up with developers, fashion companies find an opportunity to expand beyond their own volatile industry, according to Ms. Serdari. “All fashion companies have exactly the same problem—it is hard to keep up as culture
changes,” she said. “Fashion brands need to find a way to get out of that predicament.”
Meanwhile, Missoni is getting in on the action with their first branded building, the 57-story Missoni Baia under development by OKO Group in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood.
Scheduled to open by the end of 2020, Baia will feature amenities including a pet spa, a gym with views of the bay and 24-hour concierge, according to press materials on the new building. The interiors will be designed by Paris Forino
Design under the direction of Missoni, and will feature the Italian fashion house’s distinctive color palette.
Even with this spate of designer buildings, though, you will not likely see a Chanel apartment complex anytime soon. French fashion houses, according to Ms. Serdari, are beholden to the tradition of haute couture, which is focused firmly
on fashion.
On the other hand, Italian fashion houses, often lead by a single visionary à la Giorgio Armani or Donatella Versace, are more broadly concerned with overall aesthetics, Ms. Serdari said, allowing these brands to be more willing to
apply their design to other lifestyle sectors.
The buyers for designer residences are definitely out there, according to Ms. Serdari. “To this younger generation that has the money to spend, they only spend on very expensive brands,” she said. “Why not take that
concept and expand it to all the aspects of their lives?”
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