Karl Lagerfeld joins big-name designers with branded residences in Dubai

Luxury villas by the German fashion house will be the first in the Middle East

Karl Lagerfeld is bringing its aesthetic to Dubai with a series of branded residences. Photo: Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld – the German designer whose prolific output earned him the moniker “the Kaiser” – is set to have his name honoured in a series of luxury villas in Dubai.

Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 aged 85, headed the houses of Fendi and Chanel for decades. He left behind his eponymous label that continues to launch fashion collections and interior projects in line with his aesthetic.

The company will create the interiors for branded villas in Dubai, in conjunction with boutique property developer Taraf. It joins five luxury villas in Marbella, Spain, that launched in 2021, and this year's announcement of a hotel tower with branded residencies to be built in Malaysia.

As to what villa owners can expect of the new interiors, Karl Lagerfeld chief executive Pier Paolo Righi explained: “Together, with Taraf and the team at Karl Lagerfeld that worked with the designer on his architectural projects, we will bring Karl’s very unique idea of exclusive living to Dubai.” He says that the design process will blend “the artistry of design with the art of real estate” to create an elevated experience.

This is not the first branded residences to come to the region.

In 2019, Lebanese couture house Elie Saab announced plans to create the interiors for a project with Emaar. Called Grand Bleu Tower, the double-towered building will be on Emaar Beachfront, facing The Palm Jumeirah and with views over the Gulf.

It includes one to three-bedroom apartments, and five and six-bedroom penthouses. Each apartment will be fully furnished with custom-made furniture and fittings by Saab, in marble and elegant muted tones of caramel, sand, bronze and silver.

In 2010, Italian designer Giorgio Armani opened his first hotel in the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The Armani Hotel is spread across floors one to eight, and 38 to 39, in between are eight floors of Armani-designed one and two-bedroom apartments, from 100 to 200 square metres.

Designed according to Armani’s own personal taste, the apartments are filled with custom-made furniture and lighting by Armani Casa, the interiors arm of the company.

Like the fashion collections that made Armani's name, the interiors are sophisticated yet understated in tones of taupe, beige, grey and the designers own colour, griege and complimented with dark marble and stone. In a new yet-to-be-finished project, Armani is now working with property developer Arada to create waterfront apartments on Palm Jumeirah.

Elsewhere, Italian label Roberto Cavalli has designed houses in conjunction with parent company Damac. Launched in 2022, and offering a wider range of price options, it offers two and three-bedroom houses decorated with wallpaper and walls painted in distinctive tones.

The higher-end properties that extend up to six bedrooms, come with grand, double-height dining rooms filled with bespoke furniture in muted gold, sand and grey as well as Cavalli’s signature use of animal prints such as zebra and leopard.

Branded apartments designed by Swiss luxury jeweller de Grisogono were also on the cards. However, after becoming embroiled in a financial scandal, the company declared bankruptcy in 2020.

Its apartments were then snapped up by Damac and relaunched as a real estate company called Safa One by de Grisogono. Still under construction next to Safa Park in Dubai, once finished the apartments will be furnished in lush jewel tones of emerald green and sapphire blue, and metals such as gold, as befitting its history as a jewellery house.