While luxury fashion houses like Chanel and Dior have been operating seasonal popup stores for over a decade, the concept has, of late, evolved into more experiential partnerships with the hospitality industry.
This summer Jacquemus partnered with the Four Seasons Ocean Club in the Bahamas, staged a takeover of Saint Tropez’s La Renaissance brasserie and teamed up with the nearby Indie Beach Club for a second season. Valentino also joined forces with Palazzo Avino hotel and beach club on Italy’s Amalfi Coast last year. In addition to venue decor, souvenir merchandise unavailable elsewhere is also part of the offering.
Sushi Club, a series of limited edition, location centric merchandise drops linked to Nobu properties worldwide, was ahead of the curve. The partnership between Nobu Matsuhisa and luxury streetwear designer Chris Stamp debuted in 2021 at Nobu Beverley Hills—the original Nobu Matsuhisa restaurant that opened in 1987— with a sellout run of T-shirts and caps followed by similar at a slew of Nobu venues including Miami, Aspen and London. It has just released its nineteenth capsule at Nobu Ibiza Bay.
Collections drop first at the location in question and then online where they can sell out in a matter of hours. Each includes a core collection plus city exclusives in terms of colorways and details. For Ibiza Bay the feature color is “Miel” yellow and pieces also incorporate an embroidered Bandera d’Eivissa—the Ibiza flag.
While he quips that he knows how to make sushi rather than clothes, Matsuhisa cites 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 product, quality food and quality service.”
The idea for Sushi Club appealed, he says, because “I like to support what the younger generation is trying to build. The support of other people is why I’m here so that’s why I like to see young people grow and become successful.”
The Sushi Club concept is also synergetic with the hospitality industry for its experiential nature and focus on community building with complimentary events worldwide. For the launch 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 present another opportunity for brand extension. Sushi Club collaborated with Nike last year on an ultra limited edition Sushi Force 1 sneaker drop (because the original is both Matsuhisa and Stamp’s go-to footwear). In May it debuted a similarly limited run of bento boxes featuring Nobu signature black miso cod with buzzy organic grocer Erewhon alongside a new Nori green colorway addition to the Sushi Club Beverley Hills line-up.
“There’s such a level of quality to everything about he restaurants so any partnership we do needs to carry those same ideologies,” says Stamp. “Erewhon understands that and also has such an interesting angle on the market with their celebrity collaborations.” Erewhon is known for its smoothie tie-ups with celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid.
The Ibiza Bay launch was attended by Moncler Chairman and CEO Remo Ruffini known for his own multi disciplinary collections with collaborators from Pharrell Williams and adidas to Mercedes-Benz and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Stamp refers to him as “an inspiring new friend” who has “created something really amazing.”
“We’ve essentially created a new platform and we’re only just scratching the surface,” says Stamp. The dinners, he says, are about “bringing like minded creatives into our world and seeing what comes to light. That’s where you’re really able to create the magic.”
Also in attendance was artist Daniel Arsham who drew illustrations of bonsai trees on Ibiza Bay notelets for some of the guests. Alongside his work with luxury houses such as Dior, Hublot, Tiffany & Co and Rimowa and Moët & Chandon, he creates multiple series of sketches on the stationery of different hotels.
“The bonsai takes a long time to grow and develop,” observes Matsuhisa—something that chimes with the step by step philosophy deployed both for Sushi Club and his own business which now numbers some 65 restaurants and hotels and counting plus luxury residences in Los Cabos with further openings immanent in Toronto and Abu Dhabi.
Sushi Club Ibiza Bay launches at Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay and online 4 July from 8am P.T.
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