In a market where experience drives value, luxury brands are a strategic tool for residential real estate developers seeking a premium edge: bringing not just name recognition, but coherent storytelling, design and marketing power that buyers recognise.
Karl Lagerfeld’s expansion into hospitality and residential living is a good example of how a brand with a strong identity can translate into real estate projects that generate higher returns. Maggie Priori, senior vice president licensing and hospitality at Karl Lagerfeld, oversees all product categories developed under license as well as the hospitality division. She shared with Hospitality Investor how the brand creates spaces that go beyond aesthetics to deliver commercial impact and engagement.
Hospitality Investor: The Karl Lagerfeld brand was created around the very unique mind of Karl Lagerfeld. How does the brand stay authentic to its origins?
Maggie Priori: When people think Karl Lagerfeld, they often think fashion first, but Karl was one of those rare creative minds who lived beyond definitions - designer, photographer, artist, and cultural observer all at once. His mantra, 'embrace the present and invent the future,' continues to guide everything we do.
Even as part of a listed group, we operate like a family business. That means we have people in our team who worked alongside Karl for decades. We don't try to imitate Karl; we build on his ideas of curiosity, irreverence, intellect, and elegance. We constantly ask ourselves how he would approach today's world and translate that into new realms like hospitality and design, where his spirit feels naturally at home.
Hospitality Investor: Karl Lagerfeld was one of the first luxury fashion brands to show an interest in hospitality, and now you’re turning towards branded residences
Maggie Priori: Our move into hospitality was never a sudden decision, it was a natural evolution rooted in Karl's own passions. Long before any branded project, he was helping friends and collaborators craft their personal environments, from private homes to unique interiors. This was very much part of his creative universe making habitats thoughtful, beautiful, and intellectually engaging.
The first formal branded project emerged in 2015 when a respected developer family in Macau approached us to create a 'Karl Lagerfeld Hotel.' From the outset, Karl saw it not as a business opportunity but as a creative and cultural challenge. Macau, with its rich history and blend of European and Chinese influences, offered the perfect canvas. He personally designed every element from the architecture and furniture to one of the most extraordinary hotel book lounges I've ever seen - ensuring it was bespoke, culturally resonant, and true to his aesthetic.
That first hotel, the KL Hotel in Macau, became a blueprint for how we approach hospitality: each project must combine history, local culture, and Karl's design DNA to create a meaningful, elevated experience. From there, the journey naturally extended to branded residences, allowing us to bring the same philosophy into homes where people truly live and interact with the Karl Lagerfeld world.
Hospitality Investor: How do you define the Karl Lagerfeld experience in a real estate environment?
Maggie Priori: A Karl Lagerfeld residence is not about placing a logo on a building, it's about creating a fully realised world. Every space tells a story through design, light, texture, and art, with a sense of elegance mixed with the intellectual playfulness that was so characteristic of Karl himself. In some projects, even the books in the library are drawn from his personal collection of over 300,000 titles. It's all about evoking his lifestyle the balance of classic Parisian refinement and bold contemporary edge. When you step into one of our spaces, you instantly feel that distinct Karl energy.
But there is also a strategic dimension to this approach. Beyond serving our existing audience, these projects allow us to connect with new audiences who might not naturally engage with the fashion house. Today, consumers are looking for more than products; they seek meaningful experiences, investments in emotion and memory. Residences and hospitality are therefore not only a reflection of our creative vision but also a bridge to deeper emotional engagement with the brand.
Hospitality Investor: When choosing new markets, locations and properties, what are the key factors you consider?
Maggie Priori: When evaluating new markets, we combine strategic rigor with cultural intuition. Financial viability is a given, but equally important is finding destinations that reflect Karl’s forward-thinking spirit.
Our developments in Dubai and Marbella illustrate this approach. In Dubai, the Meydan villa community reflects inclusivity and engagement with a dynamic, multicultural society: it's refined yet connected to the community, perfectly aligning with our brand values. In Marbella, we chose a site on the Golden Mile to create a project that embodies sustainability, integrating green roofs, water management, and eco-conscious design into the lifestyle experience. In both cases, the locations, partners, and design choices were selected to reinforce Karl's vision and our strategic pillars, ensuring that every project is both culturally resonant and commercially sound.
Beyond location, the partnership remains is crucial. We collaborate only with developers and operators who share our commitment to quality, creativity, and authenticity. Each project must tell a story that connects local culture with the Karl Lagerfeld aesthetic. that’s how we create relevance and long-term value.
Hospitality Investor: Branded residences are all about partnerships – with developers, architects, operators, brokers. How do you determine the models and partnerships that work best for you?
Maggie Priori: Partnerships are absolutely central to what we do. Karl himself was a pioneer in collaborations - he broke boundaries decades ago, famously collaborating with H&M long before luxury designers ventured into mass-market partnerships. That daring spirit of creative collaboration is embedded in the way we approach every project today. Partnerships and collaborations are in our DNA; they allow us to amplify our vision while combining expertise across disciplines.
We always operate according to what we call the 'triangle of respect' - respect for the consumer, respect for our partners, and respect for our brand DNA. When all three are aligned, the outcome is exceptional. The most successful collaborations happen when developers, architects, and our creative teams share the same ambition: to tell a meaningful story through design.
Hospitality Investor: Finally, looking ahead, how do you see the Karl Lagerfeld brand evolving in lifestyle and hospitality over the next decade?
Maggie Priori: Hospitality and branded residences are not simply adjuncts to the Karl Lagerfeld brand they're strategic pillars that allow us to transform from creating what people wear into shaping how they live. Over the next ten years, our focus will converge around three core dimensions: design excellence, excellence in service, and unique storytelling.
Design excellence is non-negotiable: every space we create must reflect Karl's intelligence, elegance, and forward-thinking vision. From architecture to interiors, every element is curated to deliver a striking, yet timeless aesthetic. Excellence in service goes beyond luxury; it is about anticipating needs, crafting experiences that feel effortless, and ensuring every moment in a Karl Lagerfeld space is elevated and personal. Unique storytelling ties it all together: each property is a narrative, where curated art, lighting, furniture, and atmosphere communicate Karl's creative spirit, cultural insight, and irreverent sophistication. These three pillars are inseparable - together, they define what it means to live the Karl Lagerfeld lifestyle.
In short: we will expand smartly, not broadly. You will not see dozens of Karl Lagerfeld hotels or residences wherever there's a site. Instead, we'll pursue a selective, high-impact portfolio that reinforces our global prestige, generates measurable business value, and honours Karl's legacy through timeless, modern living.