The fashion houses Balmain and Alberta Ferretti have respectively chosen the One&Only Aesthesis in Greece and the Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá in the Balearic Islands, to bring their Adn to their pool areas, pool bar and private beach, for a glamorous and elegant summer season…
Dazzle the retina against a backdrop of Mediterranean sun and sky… This is the approach shared by fashion houses Balmain and Alberta Ferretti, both of whom are taking over the pools of glamorous hotels in Greece and the Balearic Islands this summer.
A clever way of accompanying Fashion Victims when they’re most available…
Balmain X One&Only Aesthesis
Balmain, with its talented Creative Director Olivier Rousteing, has chosen a Greek hotel in full renaissance, with a DNA as prestigious as that of the Haute Couture House, to create its summer activation.
With a makeover of its swimming pool and the release of a special-edition bag, it brought a nice touch of buzz to the summer at One&Only Aesthesis. This luxury resort was the Kerzner International Group’s first Greek property, inaugurated at the end of 2023. A second One&Only destination in Greece opened last May on the island of Kea.
One&Only Aesthesis is housed in a mid-twentieth-century seafront establishment in the sophisticated Athenian suburb of Glyfada.
This hotel, with its avant-garde architecture, has been redesigned without losing any of its modernist cachet, to meet the demanding luxury standards of a One&Only complex.
For its first summer season, the five-star establishment called on Balmain, to bring “a touch of new French style to the Athenian Riviera” and apply its signature style to the pool club.
Special edition of the 1945 Cabas bag
The fashion house has also designed a special edition of the 1945 Cabas bag reserved for One&Only guests. For the modest sum of €2,600, they can purchase it in the hotel’s NEO store, which offers all the fashion kit needed to shine with elegance in this resort.
The 1945 Balmain x One&Only Aesthesis Cabas, available as a limited edition in a chic black and white version, will not go unnoticed with its XXL shape, solid gold hardware and, above all, a version of the Maison’s logo lightened of its wheelbase.
Emblematic Balmain prints
There’s plenty to show off around the One&Only Aesthesis pool, itself revamped “to channel the artistic energy and emblematic prints of the iconic Balmain house”.
Balmain’s Labyrinthe motif – an interlocking B and P in the style of French Renaissance garden alleys – served as the inspiration for the pool’s unique, ephemeral décor. From the towels to the cabanas, from the cushions to the sun loungers and parasols…
All this completes “the palette of the One&Only Aesthesis and its well-thought-out environment, reminiscent of the mid-century modern architecture of Glyfada’s heyday in 1960″.
This return to the Athenian golden age was celebrated with a highly Instagrammable event worthy of the man who was king before his time of social networks, Olivier Rousteing, as good with a sewing thimble as he was with his smartphone.
A weekend and a brunch took place on the second weekend in June, by the pool dressed in his new Balmain look.
Beautiful people instagrammables
Balmain’s signature look was also evident in the chic, relaxed outfits of the Beautiful and Famous People who came for the occasion. These included the monochrome looks of Australian singer Kylie Minogue and actress Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City), casual yet chic ensembles for singer Joe Jonas (off-white embroidered shirt, black shorts and dark glasses) and actor Liam Hemsworth (white T-shirt, beige chino and flip-flops)…
Models Chanel Iman (in an optical illusion dress), Gabriella Brooks, Dutchwoman Romee Strijd or American Alton Mason, British actors Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Luke Evans, were also among the happy few.
Together, they shared festive drinks such as Kylie Minogue Côte de Provence Rosé and Kylie Minogue Prosecco D.O.C, Peach & Spritz or Aegean Mules cocktails, or an Americano… without alcohol.
These stars will also have been able to preserve their flawless silhouettes with a bespoke brunch from Ora, the casual restaurant at One&Only Aesthesis, featuring beef carpaccio, fresh salads and barbecued sea bass.
Alberta Ferreti X Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá
Rather than Greece, Alberta Ferretti chose the Balearic Islands, and in particular the five-star Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá, a member of Leading Hotels of the World, on Mallorca, to showcase her House.
Built in 1964 by one of Catalonia’s secret architects, José Antonio Coderch, the Hotel de Mar is about to celebrate its 60th anniversary with the publication “Hotel de Mar 1964-2024: 60 años del hotel Chocolate”.
The Italian designer has chosen this popular destination for royalty, famous artists and the international gotha, to inaugurate her summer Pool Club, named “Le Bombon Pool Club” by Alberta Ferretti. Like a candy cane, this place will be ephemeral for a long summer, from June to the end of October 2024.
The brainchild of eponymous designer Alberta Ferretti, head of her own House and co-founder and vice-president of the Aeffe Group, and Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, Spain’s leading hotel group, the Bombon Pool Club “offers a relaxing and refined experience by the pool, in the restaurant or on the shore of the hotel’s private beach”. The aim is to fuse “Italian craftsmanship with the magnetic charm of the Balearic Islands”.
Celebrating “Slow living
For its first collaboration in the hotel world, Alberta Ferretti wanted to make a lasting impression.
The concept, a celebration of “slow living”, goes further than the Balmain-One&Only Aesthesis collaboration. Not only did Alberta Ferretti create customized deckchairs and umbrellas and an exclusive design for the Pool Club restaurant. But she also supervised “Mediterranean cuisine and cocktails”! She even came up with “Cocktail Alby”, a drink with minty notes, as fresh as her fashion.
As for the decor, “Alberta Ferretti’s emblematic tie & dye prints adorn all the outdoor furniture in the pool area, while the beach bar and pool furniture are in beige hues“. A refined choice that combines “timeless elegance and sophisticated aesthetics”.
“Hotel de Mar, a true nugget in our global portfolio, stands out for its iconic style and bold Coderch architecture. This collaboration with Alberta Ferretti celebrates the sophisticated luxury that both our brands embody. Through this partnership, our goal is to offer our guests an elevated experience, celebrating Ms. Ferretti’s creative vision and the architecture of Hotel de Mar,” said Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International.
A new era for Alberta Ferretti
For her part, Alberta Ferretti stressed that by “joining forces with Gran Meliá to create the first fashion-focused Pool Club on Mallorca”, her brand was “inaugurating a new era” and “reinforcing” its “lifestyle positioning”.
Confident that “the Balearic Islands” held “a special place in her heart, especially during the summer, with their captivating atmosphere and warm welcome from the locals”, the designer wanted, through this collaboration with Gran Meliá “to create an atmosphere where our two worlds could naturally intertwine, making the hotel experience even more exclusive”.
After opening up their creative universe to ever wider related segments (Sport, Home, Beauty…), the hotel business is the new field of exploration for fashion houses, opening up the possibility of offering unforgettable experiences to their customers…
Read also > RETAIL: 7 SUMMERY POP-UP STORES
Featured Photo : © Alberta Ferretti et One&Only Aestesia
