Karl Lagerfeld launches international hospitality brand

17 October 2016 by Janet Harmer

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has announced plans to create an international hospitality brand after signing a long-term licence agreement with Brandmark Collective.

The move confirms Lagerfeld's interest in the sector having already put his name to and being the designer of a 270-bedroom hotel in Macau, China, which is due to open next year in collaboration with casino operator Sociedade de Jogos de Macau.

Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive and president of Karl Lagerfeld, said the expansion of the brand will broaden the designer's creative vision into the lifestyle sector, which will include hotels, restaurants, private clubs and residential properties in gateway markets and resort destinations worldwide. London and other UK cities are among the locations to be targeted.

"Developing the Karl Lagerfeld six-star hotel in Macau has been an exciting process for our whole team, and we look forward to further expanding in this field," he explained.

Based in the Netherlands, Brandmark Collective was launched last year to provide a platform for the expansion of fashion and lifestyle brands into the hospitality space.

Tony Kurz, chief executive of the company, has previously worked with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger on the creation of a hospitality brand. He said: "We inherently understand the unique needs of hospitality owners and developers and will collectively deliver the Karl Lagerfeld brand offering in a way that celebrates the designer's unique talent and approach to fashion and lifestyle."

Lagerfeld, best known for his designs for Chanel and Fendi as well as his own fashion label, has previously designed for hotels having created Odyssey, a social area, swimming pool and dining space at the Hotel Metropole Monte Carlo.

Other fashion designers working in the hospitality space include Donatello Versace, Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. Diane von Furstenberg has designed around 20 suites at London's Claridge's hotel .

In 2014, the Italian fashion house Missioni ended a licensing agreement with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, after creating the first Missioni branded hotel in Edinburgh.

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