It was not that long ago when a souvenir to remind you of your long weekend in Ibiza or Dubai resort stay meant concealing a monogrammed robe in your carry-on or decanting Byredo handwash into your holiday mini. Fast forward to today, and the fashion industry has since recognised that a growing desire for travellers to make their memories more tangible has driven a trend for luxury holiday merch.
Hospitality (whether hotels, restaurants, or sports venues) and fashion collaborations are nothing new – from the early days of the resort boutique to Dior, under Marc Bohan, creating Air France uniforms in 1962, through to 2021 when Gucci marked its centenary and its links to The Savoy in London (founder Guccio Gucci was a luggage porter at the hotel) by redesigning their Royal Suite – but they have become a lucrative opportunity for brands to develop tailor-made capsules and location-specific products that not only say ‘Wish you Were Here!’ but ‘I Was Here, and I Got the Hotel Du-Cap Eden Roc Grand Sac Tote to Prove It!’.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In 2025, with ongoing economic challenges, customers will continue to shift their spend towards experiences that create long-lasting memories, just as we are starting to see the potential of fashion tie-ins with sports (Formula One, Women’s Football), food and drink (JW Anderson just relaunched as a lifestyle concept, featuring coffee-flavoured tea, and Zara is now selling picnic hampers), and entertainment (French luxury brand Coperni’s show at Disneyland Paris and 2024’s box office hit Wicked teamed with Croc’s, H&M, Gap and M&S to harness the characters green/pink identity’s into merch that would playfully divide the nation).
In this article, I’ll dive head-first into how luxury holiday merch has been making a comeback via the experience economy, and which brands have the best collaborations you can buy, whether you are actually OOO or on your daily commute.
Fashion and Hospitality’s Hook Up = Memory-Making Merch
Leaving no element of our lifestyles untouched, brands that have a strong identity and engaged community are catering to their changing customers’ needs across a number of unexpected touchpoints, including our travel itineraries.
(Image credit: Chateau Marmont Hotel, Sporty & Rich, Hotel Du Cap Eden Roc, The Sunset Tower Hotel, Il Pellicano x Highsnobiety)
According to Statista, “Customers in the Hotels market worldwide are increasingly seeking unique experiences during their travels. They are looking for accommodations that offer more than just a place to stay but also provide memorable experiences.” And as tourism continues to rebound globally, even as the desire to pull back on lavish holidays affects certain levels of the market, consumers are still choosing not to give up on their annual travel plans. Whether booking off-season to #dupedestinations, or downsizing from 14 to 10-day holidays, expectations of creating memorable experiences are on the rise. Especially as the numbers are a sure sign that investment in creative collaborations will continue to act as a draw for the 125 million international tourists who visited Europe in the first three months of 2025 alone, according to a UN Tourism report.
How Hotel Boutiques and Baristas Got a Rebrand via Luxury Merch
Gone are the days when the uninspiring hotel boutique was the only option for a little in-resort retail therapy. Now, legacy hotel chains are rebooting their retail offer to include some of the most sought-after merch designed by fashion’s leading names. Palm Heights in Grand Cayman has quietly become known for attracting key emerging talents, scoring exclusive designs from Christopher John Rogers and Tekla, as well as Marrakshi Life. While The Ritz Paris is now offering the ultimate souvenir for the French bourgeois meets American preppy aesthetic (thank you Celine) with a branded men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collection. A collection which also includes a limited-edition collaboration with FRAME, whose merch – from cashmere sweaters to varsity jackets – has been endorsed by Hailey Bieber, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. Proving there is life beyond the lobby and brands can find commercial success with products that tap into their guests’ desires to be part of their story in an IYKYK way.
(Image credit: The Ritz, Palm Heights x Christopher John Rogers, Tekla, Marrakshi Life, One&Only Resorts x Mara Hoffmann, The Carlyle x Olivia Von Halle)
Being part of the holiday ‘In’ crowd also gives bragging rights to those who manage to snag exclusive items from an under-the-radar hotel collab, as many are proving too good to only be worn poolside. The One&Only Resorts and Mara Hoffmann’s exclusive swim capsule, for example, is likely to have doubled in value on the resale market following the designer’s decision to close in 2024, whereas Olivia Von Halle x The Carlyle’s satin sleep set bills itself as “A Cocktail Pyjama For The City That Never Sleeps”.
This trend is not just exclusive to the hotel scene, as cafes, restaurants, and iconic local eateries are also recognising the demand to brand themselves outside of the food they sell, in effect turning their loyal customers into a clever twist on traditional billboard marketing. In 2024, following a Highsnobiety collaboration that was sold in Selfridges, East London institute Beigel Bake launched a range of merch which sold out online and included T-shirts, tote bags, and utility jackets. The Manchester-born luxury streetwear brand Represent also recently opened its first London outpost with an in-store café, called the Owners Club Café. Especially tailored to its 247 community, the launch featured a store exclusive collection of merch in colours such as ‘Flat White’, alongside a football shirt released just in time for the Women’s Euros tournament.
The SPF Factor: Branded Beach Clubs Channel Peak #Resortcore
The beach club is steadily becoming one of the most impactful methods for brands to stake their claim on the summer season. Targeting those who migrate out of the cities and travel to the coast, from Ibiza to Miami or St. Tropez.
Wholesale takeovers of beach clubs mean brands can connect with their customers during their downtime, and by simply marketing the exclusive nature of the experience and dressing the environment with brand colours and codes, guests will naturally find themselves encouraged to purchase merch tied into the pop-up, as a souvenir to remember the experience. Take this summer’s Burberry takeover of The Standard hotel as a keen example of this, ‘Burberry by the Sea’ will see the house celebrate summer on the rooftop of The Standard’s Ibiza outpost, rebranding sun loungers, a lift, and even a boat called the ‘Check Mate’ with their signature check updated in the emerging colour of the season lemon yellow. Following a day by the pool, guests can indulge in merch moments which range from a retro-style photobooth, beach bags and summer staples including swimwear, hats and sunglasses. This summer, Burberry will be joined by Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand Rhode (Gran Folies, Majorca), Prada (Lido del Faro, Capri), Alo (Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum), and Longchamp (Bagno Felice 1, Tuscany), who will all take to the shores with beach clubs and tailored merch of their own.
Luxury Merch Takes Flight
As fashion brands double-down on exclusive collaborations with, not just hotels, but sports tournaments, concerts, viral restaurants and even spaces as niche as literary festivals – think Miu Miu’s Literary Club in Milan and their pop-up Summer Reads newsstand gifting book merch – the hospitality sector is also using the luxury merch opportunity to tap into local talent. Highlighting the stories of makers and their craft. Swedish luxury essentials brand CDLP has collaborated with one of Lake Como’s most exclusive hotels, Passalacqua, on a capsule featuring printed co-ords, swimwear and locally designed and hand-painted silk scarves.
(Image credit: MiuMiu)
Effortlessly extending their influence outside of the fashion world, Simon Porte Jacquemus announced in March this year that his brand had joined forces with Air France to create “Le Pyjama” for the airline’s La Première guests, to serve as the ultimate “keepsake from a night onboard”. One of Kim Jones’ first projects since departing his role as Artistic Director of Dior Men’s is a collaboration for the lifestyle division of the Aman resort brand. Boasting sustainable materials sourced with ‘Parley for the Oceans’, each piece is designed with adaptable functionality to go from city to sand dune. This first collection marks another milestone in Aman’s strategic expansion into retail, as their e-commerce shopfront ranges from ready-to-wear, fragrance, skincare, homeware, and sports-facing (tennis, yoga) capsules. It also offers a new blueprint for hotels to move beyond simply creating standard merch towards creating full-blown collections with guest designers.
So, expect many more of these exclusive collections in the near future, whether that’s swimwear to make a splash in by The Standard Maldives or casual outerwear for horse riding by the One&Only Montana.
The Best Luxury Merch Buys for Your Next Trip
Luxury merch tied to hotels that have a rich history or cultural connection, and recognisable logo design will continue to communicate a sense of belonging to an exclusive club, whether it’s sharing a knowing look with a fellow passenger on the tube wearing a Gleneagles cap or lounging on an ISSIMO x Frette striped beach towel by the pool. These nostalgia-filled purchases can be embedded with a sense of meaning, and with the way we consume luxury continuing to evolve, wearable merch with a connection to a memorable stay will resonate throughout the summer 2025 travel season and beyond.
Shop Luxury Merchandise
Frame X The Ritz
Embroidered-Logo Sweater
Beigel Bake X Stay Creative Co.
T-Shirt
ISSIMO X Frette
Beach Towel
CDLP X Passalacqua
Silk Scarf
Claridge’s X Rebecca Marks
Men’s Pyjamas
Sense of Lake X Grand Hotel Tremezzo
Tote
Emporio Sirenuse X Louis Barthélemy
Kelsy Shirt
Eden-Roc X Hotel Du Cap
T-Shirt
Stoney Clover Lane X the Beverly Hills Hotel
Banana Leaf Print Duffle Bag
Craig Green x The Standard
London Robe
The Carlyle x Olivia von Halle
Lila The Carlyle Pajama Set
Owners Club
Represent T-Shirt
Aman Essentials
Cashmere Tunic
