From Runways to Resorts: The Chic Fusion of Fashion and High-End Hospitality

In my mind, fashion and travel have always been somewhat intertwined. As a kid, I would bring home pieces of artisan-made jewelry from Puerto Rico and spend hours looking at a map of The Forum Shops at Ceasar’s Palace ahead of my (very PG) family trip to Las Vegas, ensuring I hit all the stores we didn’t have in Indianapolis. I always felt that to travel meant exploring the local scene to, well, shop (despite my dad constantly reminding me that some of our travels were not intended to be “shopping trips” at all). But only in adulthood did I understand how the intersection between the two industries—also known as fashion tourism—goes beyond retail, as demonstrated by the amount of brands currently making plays in the travel market.

Intro To Fashion Tourism

Of course, fashion tourism is nothing new. According to a NBC News article from 2007, 53% of travelers prefer shopping to sightseeing. More recently, a 2023 YouGov study that surveyed 30 different markets found “18% of global leisure travelers say they travel mainly for shopping,” journalist Hoang Nguyen reported.

18% of global leisure travelers say they travel mainly for shopping.

But I was formally introduced to the concept in 2021, while previewing the Apex Celebrity Cruise ship’s luxury retail assortment during its inaugural sail.The boutiques on board were a mix between high-end jewelry brands like Cartier and Bulgari, as well as designer vintage stores such as What Goes Around Comes Around, where shoppers could pick up a pre-loved Chanel bag or Hermes scarf while at sea. Over the course of the next 48-hours, I realized that this overlap in both markets stemmed from shared interest, and companies as well as brands were using this to their advantage. 

Retail Driven

The combination of the two worlds is what inspired streetwear designer Chris Stamp’s partnership with famed chef and hotelier Nobu Matsuhisa. In 2021 the unsuspecting duo launched Sushi Club—a lifestyle brand featuring a line of travel “merch” (think T-shirts, baseball caps, and even varsity jackets), all of which are named after hotspot destinations around the world, like Aspen and Tokyo. When I interviewed Stamp earlier this year at the Los Cabos launch in Mexico, he called the collaboration “really organic,” adding that it came to life after he and Chef Nobu bonded over their mutual love for fashion, sushi, art, and of course, travel. Three years and 20 different collections later, they’ve successfully found a way to blend the communities together.

Fashion Tourism’s Experiential Side 

Retail aside, high-end hotels are taking an experiential approach, tapping designer brands to help curate their guests' stay, through branded decor and services offered. Famed hospitality group the Four Seasons is a prime example, as they’ve found a number of ways to integrate the worlds of fashion and hospitality in its properties. The Four Seasons Saint Jean Cap Ferret hotel in the South of France is revered for the Dolce & Gabbana-designed cabanas at the historic Club Dauphin, which are splattered in the brand’s splashy Sicilian print to evoke that timeless Dolce Vita spirit. Stateside, the Four Seasons’ Houston location teamed up with luxury rental service Vivrelle, which allowed guests to leave their precious pieces at home and take some of this season’s hottest handbags or jewelry out for a spin during their stay. And its most recent collaboration comes from Jacquemus—the French brand known for its beachy aesthetic and resort wear—who created an exclusive collection of striped beach towels for the Four Season resort’s Ocean Club in the Bahamas. 

Meanwhile, the entirely business class airline La Compagnie and the SO Paris Hotel both amped it up a notch in its partnerships with historic French department store Samaritaine. The former presented a first-of-its-kind, runway show in the sky, giving passengers aboard an opportunity to preview new season items from brands like Marni. While the buzzy boutique accommodations housed a luxury claw-machine where guests had the opportunity to win big in the fashion department, thanks to a complementary custom token.  

Much like when it comes to traveling, consumers, aspirational and otherwise, are looking for the full experience that comes with exploring a new place and brands are giving both audiences what they want. Whether that means providing a curated product offering and selection of services, or filling properties with designer decor, the lines between fashion and travel are blurrier than ever. And as someone who also saw the vision at an early age, I can’t wait to see what’s next.