Fashion House Yachts: Elie Saab, Armani and the Brands Designing at Sea
Fashion houses are moving from cushions to whole yachts. Elie Saab now has a 50.9 metre project with Maiora, Armani shaped a 72 metre Admiral, and car brands keep joining in.
Fashion and design houses are no longer just supplying fabrics to yachts. They are now designing them. Elie Saab followed its first yacht interior, the Maiora 42 Exuma, with a 50.9 metre project whose exterior it co-designed. Armani developed both the exterior and interior concept of a 72 metre Admiral. Johanna Ortiz dressed the decks of a Ritz-Carlton yacht, and Brabus premiered its first yacht with AB Yachts at the 2026 Monaco Yacht Show. This guide lists every confirmed tie-up, what the brand actually designed, and the size of the boat.
Which fashion houses design yachts?
Elie Saab and Maiora: from interiors to a whole yacht
Maiora unveiled the 42 Exuma, the yard's 42 metre flagship, in July 2025. It was Elie Saab Maison's debut in yacht interiors, with the exterior by Giorgio M. Cassetta. The first unit is sold, with delivery planned for summer 2027. Elie Saab Jr. put it simply: "With this launch, we bring Elie Saab to the sea."
The second step is bigger. At the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival, Maiora showed Supernova, a 50.9 metre project with an exterior "jointly designed by Elie Saab and veteran naval designer Tommaso Spadolini". Elie Saab's team leads the interiors with Carlo Colombo. It will be built in Pisa, with delivery scheduled for the second half of 2028.
That is the shift in one brand: from furnishing a yacht to shaping its profile.
Armani and Admiral: the 72 metre benchmark
The Admiral Armani 72 is the most complete fashion house yacht built so far. The Italian Sea Group says the designer "developed the complete concept of both exterior and interior", with interiors created with Armani/Casa. The 72 metre yacht was delivered in December 2025, as the first of two units.
Johanna Ortiz on Ritz-Carlton's Ilma
Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz took over the outdoor decks of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's Ilma from 17 February 2026, for the Winter 2026 Caribbean season through the Summer 2026 Mediterranean season. Her "Tropical Exuberance" prints, inspired by Caribbean flora, cover the deck 9 observation terrace in green La Siesta prints and the deck 10 pool deck in dark blue La Rumba prints. It is a limited-time takeover, which makes it the lowest-commitment model on this list: a brand can test the sea without building a hull.
Sunseeker and Visionnaire
Sunseeker's Ocean 182, unveiled at boot Düsseldorf in January 2024, marked "the beginning of a groundbreaking partnership between Sunseeker and Visionnaire". Visionnaire curated a bespoke interior project for the yacht. Its creative director Eleonore Cavalli said the two companies "share a common vision in the Ocean 182 project".
What about Hermès?
The best known early attempt is WHY, a Wally and Hermès joint project shown in 2009. The name came from its overall length of 58 metres and beam of 38 metres. Wally founder Luca Bassani approached Hermès "with a view to styling a yacht", and the design came from Pierre-Alexis Dumas and interior architect Denis Montel. It was presented as a concept, and it set the template that Elie Saab and Armani have now built.
Which car brands have yachts?
Car makers got to the water first and keep coming back. Brabus and AB Yachts premiered "the world's first BRABUS-branded yachts" at the Monaco Yacht Show, 23 to 26 September 2026. Brabus had already worked with Axopar on the 11.2 metre Brabus Shadow 900, announced at boot Düsseldorf in 2018.
Ferrari is also moving into sailing; read our story on the Hypersail livery. For another designer-led yacht, see Nausicaa by Marc Newson.
Why are fashion brands moving into yachts?
The pattern is consistent across these projects:
- Interiors first, then the hull. Elie Saab went from the 42 Exuma interior to co-designing the Supernova exterior in about a year.
- Home collections lead. Armani/Casa and Elie Saab Maison are the divisions doing the work, extending their furniture lines into a new kind of home.
- Charter is the test bed. The Ortiz takeover on Ilma shows a brand can reach yacht guests for a season without a new build.
What it means for buyers
A fashion house name gives a yacht a story, but the build and the yard still decide how it runs and what it is worth later. Ask who drew the general arrangement, which parts the brand designed, and whether the brand's furniture is bespoke or from a catalogue. Then compare the yacht against the same yard's standard models.
Browse new and brokerage yachts on YachtWay.
Fashion house yachts FAQ
Which fashion designers have designed yachts?
Elie Saab (Maiora 42 Exuma interiors and the 50.9 m Supernova exterior), Giorgio Armani (Admiral Armani 72, exterior and interior concept), Johanna Ortiz (deck design on Ritz-Carlton's Ilma for 2026) and Hermès (the WHY 58x38 concept with Wally in 2009).
What is the Elie Saab yacht?
Elie Saab Maison designed the interiors of the Maiora 42 Exuma, a 42 m yacht unveiled in July 2025. In 2026 Maiora showed Supernova, a 50.9 m project whose exterior Elie Saab co-designed with Tommaso Spadolini, due in the second half of 2028.
Did Armani design a yacht?
Yes. The Admiral Armani 72 is a 72 m yacht from The Italian Sea Group, delivered in December 2025. Armani developed the complete concept of the exterior and interior, with interiors by Armani/Casa.
Does Brabus make yachts?
Yes. Brabus and AB Yachts premiered the first Brabus-branded yachts at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2026. Brabus earlier worked with Axopar on the 11.2 m Brabus Shadow 900.
Which car brands have made boats?
Lamborghini with Tecnomar, Porsche with Dynamiq and Frauscher, Ferrari with Riva, Bugatti with Palmer Johnson, BMW with TYDE, Mercedes-Benz with Silver Arrows Marine, and Brabus with Axopar and AB Yachts.
What was the Hermès yacht?
WHY was a 58 m by 38 m yacht concept presented by Wally and Hermès in 2009, styled by Pierre-Alexis Dumas and Denis Montel.
