These luxury residences are 100 per cent designer: how Armani, Karl Lagerfeld and Dolce & Gabbana are creating properties as stunning as their fashion

“Luxury fashion brands have taken these collaborations a step further, embracing their unparalleled design ethos, service quality, exclusivity and brand affinity to curate and sculpt unique homes that offer bespoke experiences,” says Shaman Chellaram, senior director Asia at real estate company Colliers.

“These residences offer limited-edition collectible real estate which, much like a rare fashion collection or exclusive handbag, creates a potentially long-term storage of value for wealth and capital appreciation,” he says.

Unlike many designer hotels, these real estate projects are partnerships with high-profile developers, giving brands access to prime real estate, as well as the high level of expertise needed to create residences that suit the demands of a more discerning clientele.

While brand association helps drive sales, the cachet of owning a branded residence goes beyond bragging rights. When the concept first emerged in the early 2010s, it immediately attracted ultra-high net worth clients looking for beautifully designed and lavish spaces that embodied a designer brand’s aesthetic, including everything from the wallpaper and colour palette, to the furniture.

As with all real estate projects, location is paramount. Instead of choosing high-density cities where real estate costs are sky high, brands have opted for exotic destinations that have a resort-like or holiday feel while offering a high-quality lifestyle – places such as Miami, Portugal and Dubai (the latter was recently crowned the world’s branded residences capital by real estate company Savills).

As competition in the space has heated up over the past few years, projects have become more ambitious in terms of size and design. While apartments are still popular, many newer residences include elaborate penthouses or stand-alone villas that offer more space and privacy.