Inside the world of fashion hotels: How Dior, Armani, and Bvlgari are designing the new luxury

In an era when branding extends far beyond the wardrobe, the world’s most influential fashion houses are reimagining what it means to live in style, quite literally. From the shores of Saint-Tropez to the skyscraping skyline of Dubai, iconic maisons like Dior, Armani, and Bvlgari are no longer content with simply dressing the elite—they now host them.

These designer-led hotels offer more than just high-thread-count linens and concierge service. They serve as immersive extensions of a brand’s identity—architectural mood boards that blur the line between fashion, art, and interior design. Whether it is a minimalist sanctuary curated by Giorgio Armani in Milan, a riot of patterns imagined by Christian Lacroix in Paris, or Oscar de la Renta’s airy ode to Caribbean elegance in Punta Cana, each property is stitched together with a couturier’s eye and a hotelier’s instinct.

As the fashion world leans into lifestyle and experience, these hotels stand as monuments to a new kind of luxury: one that is personal, sensorial and distinctly on-brand.

From fabric to feeling

“When translating a fashion house’s aesthetic into a physical space, the essence of couture lies in the emotional experience it evokes—a sense of quiet power, presence and grace,” says couture designer
Dolly J. “It begins not with fabric, but with feeling.”

For Dolly J., it is not about replicating garments, but echoing their spirit. Through texture, tone and light, she explains, a fashion house’s philosophy can be transformed into an environment that feels like “memory made tangible”.

Interior designer Sarah Sham, principal of Essajees Atelier, shares a similar ethos, but emphasises that fashion’s translation into space should not feel derivative. “It’s about channelling the brand’s enduring identity and overall vibe,” she says. “Designers can focus on signature elements like characteristic colour palettes, a recurrently used material, or a unique print… ensuring the physical environment reflects the brand’s essence in a timeless yet dynamic way.”

So what sets a fashion-branded hotel apart?

“Most hotels are designed for function layered in refinement,” Dolly J explains. “Fashion-led properties are styled like editorials—immersive, emotive, and deeply intentional. Every element becomes a storytelling tool, handled with the same nuance as a couture garment.”

Sham observes that standard luxury hotels like the Taj or the Oberoi typically “employ material cues that create a universally appealing aesthetic”. A fashion-branded hotel, by contrast, “embraces a highly specific, often dramatic aesthetic”. It is not about appealing to the masses—it is about manifesting a singular design vocabulary.

“You’ll notice a shift from decoration to styling,” Dolly J elaborates. “Walls that drape like pleats, hardware that gleams like jewellery…These cues don’t serve a function alone; they express identity.”

Reconciling ephemerality and permanence

If fashion is seasonal and fast-moving, how does it align with interiors that must endure? “You reconcile it by translating fashion’s soul, not its season,” says Dolly J. “Haute couture may evolve visually, but its foundation—craft, silhouette and story—is timeless.”

For Sham, it is about anchoring the design in brand codes that transcend the runway cycle. “Iconic fashion houses like Chanel, Burberry, Dior, or Louis Vuitton go beyond their logos,” she says. “For instance, Chanel embodies the classic tweed, while Burberry is synonymous with its signature checks.” These enduring cues—material, pattern, or overarching feel—allow interiors to feel recognisably branded without being bound to trends.

“Fashion-led hotels don’t just extend a brand visually; they immerse you in its world,” Dolly J insists. “It’s like stepping into a campaign where the guest becomes the muse.” Scent, silence, light, materials—nothing is accidental. 

Sham concurs: “Storytelling is paramount…weaving a cohesive narrative through the entire space.” It is not about reflecting a specific collection or season, she says, but about grounding the design in a fashion house’s eternal spirit. In doing so, “the design ensures its appeal remains relevant and captivating”.

Bvlgari has translated its sensibility for fine jewellery into its hotels. Bvlgari Hotel Milano quietly measures grandeur through materials like Zimbabwean black marble, teak and Vicenza stone—personalised with framed sketches of classic jewels in guest rooms—creating a discreet, garden-flanked urban retreat. Its spa, located underground, features mosaic-tiled pools, sophisticated saunas and private outdoor jacuzzis, earning top ratings for its serene elegance and eco-focused operations.

The psychology of immersive design

Giorgio Armani inaugurated the Armani Hotel Dubai within the Burj Khalifa in April 2010—a lofty experiment in brand immersion. Spread over 11 floors, each suite is infused with Armani’s hallmark restraint: veneered zebrawood, Eramosa-stone floors, leather wall textures and custom Armani/Casa furnishings create a signature ambience. The property also introduces the “Stay with Armani” philosophy, assigning guests personal lifestyle managers who curate the experience from booking to departure. Culinary venues span world cuisines—Italian, Japanese, Indian—each echoing Armani’s aesthetic while framed by the Dubai Fountain and skyline vistas.

If these hotels feel different, it is because they are meant to.

“Immersive design works below the surface—it invites emotion before cognition,” says Dolly J. “A familiar scent, the hush of velvet, the calm of muted tones—these sensory cues slow the pace, ground the guest and leave a lasting emotional imprint.”

Sham views immersive design as multi-sensory storytelling: “It involves the carefully chosen music, the distinctive aroma, the flavours of any food served, and significantly, the tactile quality of surfaces—whether they feel smooth, rough, cool or warm.” And scent, she adds, is an unsung hero. “We consistently hear from clients how a specific scent… triggers recognition, forging powerful memories and an undeniable sense of identity.”

Architect Abin Chaudhuri, principal at Kolkata-based Abin Design Studio, sees this convergence as a natural evolution. “As designers, we see fashion as more than clothing. It’s a language of form, texture and emotion—just like architecture and product design,” he says. “When fashion brands design hotels or furniture, they’re translating their identity into physical experiences.”

For Chaudhuri, this is not just cross-disciplinary borrowing—it is synergy. “Fashion blends naturally with architecture. Both shape how people move, feel and interact. A bold silhouette can inspire the shape of a chair. The layering in a dress can inform interior textures. Materials, lighting and colours become tools for storytelling—just like on the runway.”

In that sense, what houses like Armani or Versace are doing is far more than branding. “This is more than diversification—it’s a new form of creative expression,” he continues. “Fashion becomes space. Design becomes lifestyle. And as designers, we get to reimagine how the world looks and feels.”

Quiet luxury and the new guest

We are living in a time when the meaning of luxury is being fundamentally rewritten.

“Today’s guests aren’t looking to be dazzled—they’re looking to be understood,” says Dolly J. “For millennials and Gen Z, luxury is about emotional alignment, not excess.”

Sham draws a sharp generational distinction: “Millennials often favour conspicuous branding… Gen Z, conversely, leans towards a more understated, often ‘thrifted’ or organic aesthetic, actively shying away from overt brand display.” For fashion-branded hotels, this shift demands subtlety. “Rather than relying on explicit logos… these spaces must convey the brand’s intrinsic essence through subtler, more artistic cues.”

For designers, this means trading flash for intimacy. “The new luxury,” Dolly J says, “is intuitive and deeply personal—a space that feels like it knows you.”

Where a traditional luxury hotel might wow you with polish and efficiency, a fashion-branded property seduces with mood, memory and feeling. In a world seeking meaning in every transaction, perhaps that is the most luxurious gesture of all.

 

Lead Image: Armani Hotel Milano/Instagram, Bvlgari Hotels/Instagram, Dior Maison/Instagram

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