Italian fashion brand enters Pakistan luxury housing market

LONDON: Leading brand Versace ceramics is set to enter the Pakistani market as part of a proposed $30 million investment in Lahore in a luxury housing venture.

At a press conference here, UAE based Diyar Homes announced collaboration with leading Italian design house Versace ceramics and Gardenia Orchidea on their $30 Million One Canal Road, luxury residential scheme in Lahore.

The press conference at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane was addresses by Zeeshaan Shah, Co-founder Diyar Homes; Shaan Abbas, Director Diyar Homes Marketing, Francesco Lano, Business Development Director of Versace Ceramics from Italy; Kobi Karp; CEO and Founder Kobi Karp Architecture, Miami, USA; and Sara Rahal, CEO and Founder The Haute Interiors, Chicago, USA; and Kelly Birchmore of Diyar Homes.

Versace’s Francesco Lano announced that flooring and walls at One Canal Road in Lahore will be decorated by Versace ceramics - a first of its kind in Lahore. Zeeshaan Shah said: “It is an honour for us to be bringing a company of this stature to our project in Pakistan. We have worked with Versace Ceramics and Gardenia Orchidea on our international projects and now to bring them to Pakistan is a testament to the new levels of luxury One Canal Road will introduce to Lahore.

“Under the current design scheme at One Canal Road we’re looking at a record breaking 20,000 square feet+ of amenity space including a majestic 6500 square feet lobby entrance with 28 feet high ceilings, which will all be finished in the finest Italian Versace ceramics. This level of finishing and amenities are usually only found in the world’s most luxury hotels and that is the lifestyle we’re introducing to residential real estate.

“At Diyar Homes we look at real estate in it’s true essence through the prism of lifestyle, what is the function of good real estate, it improves standards of living and this customer centric approach is at the very forefront of our development process. When starting a project the first question we ask ourselves is how can this project change people’s lives.

Then by leveraging our international development expertise and global network of leading development consultants with the utmost attention to detail, we look to not only raise standards of living but create lifestyles.”

Representing Versace Ceramics and Gardenia Orchidea, Francesco Lanno said the leading Italian brand was excited to be working on a first of it’s kind development in Pakistan. He said: “At Gardenia we look to develop long-term collaborations with like minded and design conscious luxury developers and I’m certain our global collaboration will continue to gain strength as they now roll out their super luxury developments across Pakistan and internationally.”

He said that Versace Ceramics surfaces are designed to transfer the luxury and exclusive elegance of the Versace lifestyle to all areas of the home, from the floors, through the living areas, to the bathroom.

He said: “In every design project the iconic subjects of Versace the fashion house become decorative accessories and transform spaces into unique and special settings when combined with ceramic slabs. The brand has been the ceramic of choice for numerous high-end private homes as well as royal residences and hotels across the world.”

Kobi Karp said that Pakistanis liked the cutting-edge designs and paid particular attention to details. He said that the design his company will be introducing in Lahore will be environment friendly, futuristic and will fulfil the desire for high quality design and will meet the lifestyle needs of people living in Pakistan and abroad.