PARIS — Vilebrequin, the French brand that prides itself on making “the world’s best swimsuit,” is branching out into hospitality with plans to open up to 15 beach clubs worldwide within the next three years.
Roland Herlory, chief executive officer of Vilebrequin, says it is the next stage of development for the luxury swimwear brand founded in Saint-Tropez in 1971, and acquired by G-III Apparel Group, the owner of brands including Karl Lagerfeld, DKNY and Sonia Rykiel, in 2012.
“We’ve been making swimsuits for 50 years and I wanted to take it to the next level, which is the experience,” he said. “This is not just a pop-up concept, it’s a long-term strategy. We are experts in the art of beach living.”
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The brand’s new chapter began in Cannes with the opening of the Vilebrequin beach opposite the historic Carlton hotel last year ahead of the Cannes Film Festival.
After partnering with skin care brand Augustinus Bader for its first activation, this time, the space is joining forces with Caviar Kaspia from Wednesday through May 25 to offer festival-goers a unique dining experience.
The menu will combine typical Mediterranean fare like ratatouille with the sophisticated seafood that has made Caviar Kaspia a favorite with the fashion set in locations including Paris, London and New York City.
And from Monday to Wednesday, cook and TV host Luana Belmondo, the daughter-in-law of legendary French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, will prepare traditional Italian food with her son Alessandro, a chef.
Meanwhile, another celebrity scion, Sarah Lelouch — daughter of French director Claude Lelouch — has put together a program of talks from Friday to Monday around the topic of technology and film under the banner of her newly founded TechCannes Business Club.
Having ramped up efforts to cater to customers in holiday destinations with pop-up stores, high-end brands are seeking inroads into the red-hot hospitality sector as inflation-weary consumers trade luxury goods for experiences.
While many are teaming up with celebrity chefs and exclusive resorts to create temporary cafés, restaurants and pool clubs, Vilebrequin is one of the few to have a genuine sea connection. “We are perhaps more legitimate,” Herlory said.
Rather than start from scratch, he acquired one of the most popular beach clubs on the famed Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes, L’Ondine, and gave it a colorful makeover courtesy of interior designer Vincent Darré.
“You always need a laboratory, a step one, and I wanted it to be something that we control from beginning to end,” the former Hermès executive explained. “I loved the history of L’Ondine which has existed for decades and has always been popular with locals.”
Herlory opted to change as little as possible, keeping the existing menu with its signature “elephant ear” breaded veal cutlets and lobster casserole.
“It’s important to be anchored in the DNA and the history of a place. It has to be grounded, otherwise it’s hot air and it won’t last,” he said.
Darré came up with a playful spin on Vilebrequin’s signature fabric prints with a decor that mixes bold stripes with hand-painted sea creatures.
The Cannes space is open year-round, providing a blueprint and an anchor for its overseas offshoots, starting with the Vilebrequin at Saadiyat Beach Club in Abu Dhabi that opened in March.
“We’re going to open between 10 and 15 within the next three years,” says Herlory.
Up next is a residence at the Thompson Hotel in Miami, set to bow later this year. Vilebrequin will take over the rooftop pool and restaurant at the hotel, which boasts a striking undulating exterior designed by another Frenchman, architect Rudy Ricciotti.
It will also partner with the Domes Miramare in Corfu, Greece, formerly the summer playground of the Onassis family, and a further location is planned in the Seychelles.
While Darré is overseeing all the international locations, the design will be tweaked to cater to local culture. “I don’t believe in cookie-cutter concepts. It’s good to be different each time, in harmony with the local partners,” Herlory said.
For instance, the Abu Dhabi activation comes with a limited-edition family capsule collection set to go on sale from June in select Vilebrequin stores and online at Vilebrequin.com.
The brand plans to celebrate its collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism with an Arabian Nights-themed party at the Vilebrequin beach on Tuesday, the opening day of the Cannes festival.
While some of the brand’s upcoming pop-ups have a retail component, it’s not a prerequisite. “You don’t always have to sell,” Herlory remarked.
The label has around 200 freestanding stores worldwide, of which half are owned and half franchised. It directly operates its units in Western Europe, the U.S., Mexico, Hong Kong and Singapore, and works with local distributors in South America, the Middle East and Asia.
Despite its relatively high price point — plain swim trunks start at 165 euros, while printed versions average 230 euros — Herlory sees plenty of potential to expand, in Asia particularly, since Vilebrequin has no presence to date in countries including the Philippines and Vietnam.
He said the price point is fair given that its classic swim trunk, the Moorea, is finished by hand, demanding a ritual of 32 steps.
“It’s crazy because people don’t realize how technical it is, but I want to make the world’s best swimsuit. You can like it or not, that’s a matter of taste, but I want it to be the best quality, the most comfortable, the most long-lasting,” he said.
Vilebrequin also offers an in-store repair service. “We change the lining, the elastic waistband, the drawstring, the metal tips,” he listed.
But new revenue streams beckon, and with a swimsuit designed to last for years, creating a memorable environment to match appears like the logical next step.
“It’s all about experiencing the art of living at the beach not just through clothing, which is already an experience in itself, but the experience of having lunch, soaking up the sun and having fun with the kids, so it’s really a very natural extension,” Herlory said.