Luxury beaches are the new runway as top designers aggressively brand coastal hotspots through partnerships and prominent logos. Upscale lidos, seaside restaurants, pools, and beach clubs across Italy and beyond are being fully “outfitted,” complete with pop-up shops selling the brand’s latest apparel and accessories.
This summer marks Loro Piana’s return to La Réserve à la Plage in Saint-Tropez, infusing the venue with its signature quiet luxury aesthetic through sand-toned hues and classic styling. Roberto Cavalli is redefining luxury for Summer 2025 at Ibiza’s The Unexpected Hotel and Annex Beach in Cannes. At the Ibiza location, everything from sunbeds and towels to the Oyster & Cavari Bar features Creative Director Fausto Puglisi’s new ‘ray of sea’ print capsule collection. Cannes sees additions of Cavalli’s iconic ‘zebra stripes’.
Vilebrequin La Plage, a Riviera elegance symbol, debuts a new lifestyle concept at Crete’s Domes of Elounda resort, heralding a “barefoot luxury” era.
In Italy, Dior brands Bagni Fiore in Paraggi (Santa Margherita Ligure) and Il Riccio Restaurante and Beach Club in Anacapri (including a pop-up boutique). At Marina di Pietrasanta (Lucca), the elegant Panama restaurant beach partners with historic hatmaker Borsalino, featuring the logo and a boutique selling its renowned hand-woven panamas. The club hosts fashion-themed events like a recent ‘Elegant belle époque’ party. Cava Regia in Vico Equense (Campania) is branded by famed Neapolitan tie maker E.Marinella.
Herno returns for a second summer to Phi Beach in Arzachena (Sardinia) with sand and ‘testa di moro’ toned cabanas and loungers. New for 2025 is the Herno Suite restaurant, featuring cane-woven walls reflecting the brand’s aesthetic. A new partnership sees Lacoste brand the ‘Lacoste lounge’ at Tigù Beach in Sestri Levante, Liguria.
“This trend extends beyond beach clubs; it’s about fashion brands linking to summer and seaside locales, including hotel pool areas and trendy spots,” explains Andrea Guolo, author of ‘Guida ai migliori beach club d’Italia’. He notes Dolce & Gabbana’s wide-reaching partnership with Lmdv Holding, present at venues like Le Carillon in Paraggi, Twiga in Versilia, San Domenico Four Seasons Taormina, and Cala di Volpe.
However, not all exclusive resorts embrace the full “take-over” marketing strategy. Some, renowned in their own right, resist ceding prominence to avoid diluting their identity. “Some have started limiting or excluding take-overs,” Guolo states. “While the partner brand brings prestige, the venue risks losing its identity and becoming secondary.” He cites the example of Louis Vuitton’s 2023 collaboration with Alpemare in Forte dei Marmi, which was not repeated. Award-winning Alpemare chose instead to focus on its own image, partnering with culinary brands like Nobu (2024) and Cova (2025).