FOR ART ’ S SAKE
TRENDING
FOR ART ’ S SAKE
KARLISM
Karl Lagerfeld ’ s distinctive aesthetic vision has helmed iconic fashion houses – Chanel , Fendi , his own eponymous line . Now the German designer wants to put his stamp on hotels . First stop : Macau , later this year .
Tony Kurz , CEO of the Netherlands ’ Brandmark Collective , has a licensing agreement to develop hotels , residences , restaurants and private clubs for Lagerfeld , following a blueprint a bit like Soho House . But unlike the London club ’ s membership , which is limited to creatives , Kurz says Lagerfeld hotels ’ potential rests in a broader base , starting in brand-hungry Asia , that already owns – or aspires to associate with – Lagerfeld ’ s couture vibe . Kurz calls Macau “ ground zero for an aspirational consumer .”
Kurz wants to build a hotel development company of a half-dozen globally recognized brands that don ’ t compete within luxury hotel subsegments , backed by an operations group ( quirky , modern-luxury Lagerfeld is the first , with a comp set that would include a Four Seasons or Mandarin ; Kurz says the company is close to signing its second brand and is in talks with a third ).
That , combined with an owner- and developer-centric approach , is more compelling for potential investors , he says , and it also eliminates pitfalls that have claimed other designer-led hotels . “ We aren ’ t leading with FF & E ,” he says . “ You ’ re not in the furniture business , you ’ re in the experience business .”
Kurz describes Lagerfeld as the creative director , but the properties won ’ t all necessarily look alike . “ Our goal is to make ( the hotels ) far more experiential and less traditional – not taking itself quite so seriously .” It ’ s more an attitude , he says , based on the man who has influenced brands from luxe to accessible . “ Our goal was to draw from the DNA of this man who has touched all of these different aspects … and build a series of signature experiences out of that .”
How did a 12-foot sculpture of a cat wind up at the Crosby Street Hotel ? “ As I was walking round the streets I couldn ’ t get over the number of dogs ,” Kit Kemp says of New York ’ s SoHo neighborhood , where London-based Firmdale Hotels ’ first U . S . property opened in 2009 .
The bronze sculpture is the third piece by Colombian artist Fernando Botero that Kemp , designer director and co-owner with her husband , Tim , at Firmdale , has purchased . It joins a diverse collection , which includes artists like Tony Cragg and Jaume Plensa and which is a big part of a Firmdale hotel ’ s personality .
“ The whole idea for Crosby Street was art inspired by the written word , so the Plensa ( piece ) is a huge head made out of letters of the alphabet ,” she says .
An Alselm Kiefer piece took eight people to lift in place – but size is nothing to be intimidated by , she adds . “ With the public areas , you want to have something which is a little dynamic or a talking point , and you need space around it . And also you don ’ t need too much because then it gets too confusing for the eye .”
Kemp looks for what resonates . “ It ’ s a totally personal thing , and it actually doesn ’ t have anything to do with value . I can very easily mix something that ’ s been done by somebody ’ s auntie with an expensive work of art ,” she says . “ If you give your guests something that ’ s interesting , they rise to it .”
Firmdale ’ s second NYC property , The Whitby , opens this year . The 86-room hotel will feature art from Africa and America , Kemp says .
A bronze Botero cat welcomes guests to the Crosby Street Hotel .
16 hotelsmag . com January / February 2017