Why the luxury hotel industry is the latest trend in luxury retail

While Luxury fashion houses like Chanel and Dior have been running seasonal pop-up stores for over a decade, and recently the concept has evolved into more experience-focused partnerships with the hospitality industry..

This summer, Jacquemus partnered with the Four Seasons Ocean Club in the Bahamas, took over the Brasserie La Renaissance in Saint Tropez and teamed up with the nearby Indie Beach Club for a second season. Valentino also joined forces with the Palazzo Avino hotel and beach club on Italy’s Amalfi Coast last year. In addition to decorating the venue, the offering also includes souvenir items not available elsewhere.

Sushi Club, a series of limited-edition, location-based merchandise drops in conjunction with Nobu locations worldwide, was ahead of its time. The partnership between Nobu Matsuhisa and luxury streetwear designer Chris Stamp debuted in 2021 at Nobu Beverly Hills—the original Nobu restaurant that opened in 1987—with a sold-out run of T-shirts and hats, followed by similar promotions at a number of Nobu locations, including Miami, Aspen, and London. The nineteenth capsule has just been released at Nobu Ibiza Bay.

The collections are first offered in the respective locations and then online, where they can sell out in a matter of hours. Each collection includes a core collection as well as exclusive colour combinations and details for each city. At Ibiza Bay, the main colour is ‘miel’ yellow and the pieces also feature an embroidered Bandera d’Eivissa – the flag of Ibiza.

While he jokes that he knows more about making sushi than clothes, Matsuhisa points to shared values ​​when it comes to the collection’s focus on quality materials and suppliers. “I’m a chef,” he says, so I always focus on quality: quality products, quality food and quality service.”

He says he liked the idea for the Sushi Club because “I like to support what the younger generation is trying to build. Supporting other people is why I’m here, and that’s why I like to see young people grow and become successful.”

The Sushi Club concept is also synergistic with the hospitality industry worldwide due to its experiential nature and focus on community building with free events. For the opening at Nobu Ibiza Bay, Matsuhisa and Stamp invited their community to experience the property for three days, culminating in a cocktail reception and dinner.

External partnerships offer another opportunity for brand extension. Sushi Club worked with Nike last year on an ultra-limited edition of the Sushi Force 1 sneaker (because the original is both Matsuhisa and Stamp’s favorite shoe). In May, the company released a similarly limited edition bento boxes featuring Nobu’s signature black miso cod with hip organic grocer Erewhon, alongside a new nori green colorway that complemented the Sushi Club Beverly Hills lineup.

“Everything in the restaurants is of such high quality that each of our partnerships has to be informed by the same ideologies,” says Stamp. “Erewhon understands that and also has such an interesting approach to the market with its celebrity collaborations.” Erewhon is known for its smoothie collaborations with celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid.

Also present at the Ibiza Bay launch was Moncler chairman and CEO Remo Ruffini, known for his own multidisciplinary collections with partners ranging from Pharrell Williams and adidas to Mercedes-Benz and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, who Stamp describes as “an interesting new friend” who has “created something really amazing.”

“We’ve basically created a new platform and we’re just scratching the surface,” says Stamp. The dinners, he says, are about “bringing like-minded creatives into our world and seeing what happens. That’s where you can really create magic.”

Also present was artist Daniel Arsham, who created illustrations of bonsai trees on Ibiza Bay notepads for some of the guests. In addition to his work for luxury houses such as Dior, Hublot, Tiffany & Co and Rimowa and Moët & Chandon, he creates several series of sketches on the stationery of various hotels.

“The bonsai takes a long time to grow and develop,” notes Matsuhisa—something that aligns with the step-by-step philosophy he follows for both the Sushi Club and his own business, which now includes some 65 restaurants and hotels and growing, as well as luxury residences in Los Cabos, with more openings in Toronto and Abu Dhabi on the horizon.

Sushi Club Ibiza Bay launches on July 4th from 8am PT at Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay and online