First look at Karl Lagerfeld villas in Dubai, where 18th-century Paris meets high fashion

Due to be completed in 2027, the 51 luxury homes will come with personalisation options and late designer's recognisable aesthetic

The Karl Lagerfeld Villas in Dubai are inspired by the facade of the fashion house's headquarters in Paris. Photo: Taraf

The first images of a branded luxury villa development in Dubai which will carry the name of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld have been revealed.

Showcasing a blend of traditional and modern architecture, combined with the late German designer’s instantly recognisable design aesthetic, the Karl Lagerfield villas are inspired by 18th century Paris.

Announced in October last year, the plan to build 51 luxury homes is a partnership between the luxury fashion house and Dubai developer Taraf.

Located within a gated community in the Meydan area, the entire community will be Karl Lagerfeld-branded, with the centre strip designed to represent a runway to link a community club with landscaped gardens and a lagoon.

The project will be Karl Lagerfeld's third branded residential property development in the world and the first in the Middle East. The fashion house launched luxury residences in Marbella, Spain, in 2021, and last year announced a hotel tower with branded residences in Malaysia.

The Dubai villas are set to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.

“I’m happy to open the next chapter of Karl’s future legacy,” Pierpaolo Righi, chief executive of Karl Lagerfeld, told The National. “It’s an exciting moment for us because Dubai held a very special place in Karl’s heart for one very simple reason: he was very much driven by the mantra of 'embrace the present and invent the future'.

“And I think there is no better visualisation of what that means than what Dubai has done over the last few decades. We are taking Karl’s legacy into the future, and I think there is no better place than Dubai to do so.”

A rendering of the interior of a Karl Lagerfeld-branded villa in Dubai. Photo: Taraf

Inspired by Lagerfeld’s fascination with 18th-century Parisian architecture, the project mirrors the elegance and demure of this period. The design of the five, six and seven-bedroom villas takes inspiration from the facade of the Karl Lagerfeld headquarters in Paris, one of the late designer's favourite buildings.

The 51 properties will range from 721 square metres to 1,790 square metres in size, and owners will have the opportunity to personalise their homes by choosing between two design options for the facade: Soft Modern or Urban Modern.

Each property features a grand entrance reminiscent of the building's 18th-century charm, guiding residents towards the showpiece of the house: a spiralling staircase, which in itself is a grand piece of architecture. Each villa comes equipped with a pool and garden area, as well as a study, majlis, show kitchen, dining area and multiple bathrooms.

Residents will benefit from exclusive access to the Parisian-style community clubhouse, which features meeting rooms, a library, swimming pool, sauna, gym and luscious green gardens.

It was well known that the late designer and creative director of Chanel and Fendi had a strong fascination with architecture. His love for creativity and design spanned much further than just fashion, and it is this that the brand promises to focus on with these residences.

“It’s an invitation to become part of Karl Lagerfeld’s world, which meant so much more than just fashion.” added Righi. “It was about people, places, history, architecture, literature, music.”

More information is available at www.tarafholding.com