Luxury hotel Villa d’Este has been attracting celebrities all the way back to the days of Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. Not to mention Woody Allen, Madonna, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Gianfranco Ferré, Winston Churchill and Gianni Agnelli. Built directly on the shore of Lake Cuomo in 1568 as a private lodging, Villa d’Este became a hotel in 1873. Now WWD is reporting that the hotel is hoping to leverage its history and glamour and turn itself into a luxury brand.


Included in their expansion plans are branded home accessories, bed and bath linens, wellness products, leisurewear, scarves, and leather accessories. The products will be licensed to specialist manufacturers in each category and will be available in high-end department stores beginning next fall. Villa d’Este chief executive officer Jean-Marc Droulers told WWD that despite the bombardment of pessimistic forecasts, the folks at Villa d’Este have decided to go against stream reacting to all the negativity. He continues by saying that “the world of brands is very crowded, but we can differentiate ourselves through superior, excellent products in line with our core activities.”


Former general director at British brand Daks Simpson and previously brand manager at Valentino and general manager at Krizia — Bruno Massa — has been chosen to head-up the project.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
