Using celebrity and designer names for home furnishings products has been a staple of the business for decades. From Ralph Lauren and Bill Blass, to more recent choices like Ellen DeGeneres and Joanna Gaines, to seemingly odd choices like Ernest Hemingway and George Foreman, these monikers have adorned everything from furniture to bed linens, lighting and kitchen appliances.
But now we’re seeing celebrity names being used in a whole new area of the spectrum: From homes to hotels to even cruise ships, a new generation of brand-naming nomenclature has been established, opening up fresh areas for the companies that own these names. What better to put in a Martha Stewart home than a Martha Stewart lighting fixture?
Martha is just one of many names being used on homes now. Others include singer Pharrell Williams and sometimes-singer/always media gadabout Kanye West. Add them to the list of homes and condominiums being marketed with the names of “starchitect” architects like Zara Hadid and Robert A.M. Stern.
The latest project takes to the seas, courtesy of Virgin Voyages: a cruise ship line being launched by all-things-Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson. The first ship, the Scarlet Lady, will set sail on its maiden voyage in April (at press time the company had not said whether the coronavirus might delay this timing). Its interior and state rooms are being created by noted British designer Tom Dixon and the U.S.-based architectural and design firm Roman and Williams. Dixon has created a number of rock music-inspired cabins, while Roman and Williams are doing some of the dining and public spaces. Branson has likened the new ship to “the luxe experience of a boutique hotel to the sea.”
What’s next for celebrity and designer branding? Perhaps the sky’s the limit.