The latest chapter in the collaboration between St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Vilebrequin is less of a brand partnership and more of a sun-kissed symphony — where family legacy meets French flair, and where the indulgence of leisure is dressed in custom cabana stripes. In a luxury landscape increasingly dictated by experience over excess, the 2025 capsule collection and immersive experiences offer a soft-spoken but elegant rebuttal to the question: Can luxury still be joyful, generational, and playful?
When High Design Meets High Tides
There’s something irresistibly nostalgic about this capsule — and that’s the point. Vilebrequin, long the darling of the Côte d’Azur set, knows how to distill Riviera chic into breezy cotton, while St. Regis, with its storied Astor family legacy, understands how to build experiences that linger long after the suntan fades. Together, they’ve created a collection not just of things, but of intentions: swimsuits for every member of the family, printed pareos, curated beach games, and accessories infused with storytelling and soul.
The palette? Summer-splashed with whimsy and elegance — Family Traditions illustrations that echo back to the golden age of travel, and Family Stripes dipped in King Cole Red, a loving nod to the birthplace of the Bloody Mary. It’s less about trend and more about timelessness. In fact, this entire endeavor could be seen as an affectionate rejection of the transient, the fast-fashion, and the overly curated influencer-verse of resortwear.
photo @St. Regis x @Vilebrequin
Beyond the Poolside: Why This Collaboration Matters
Yes, it’s fun. Yes, it’s photogenic. But this isn’t just about playful beach buckets and breezy towels. There’s a larger thesis about the evolution of luxury at play.
By tying the capsule to its Family Traditions programming, St. Regis is cleverly aligning the ephemeral (a seasonal swimsuit) with the eternal (generational connection). In an era where ultra-luxury is pivoting away from exclusivity and toward meaning-making, the collaboration becomes a vehicle for reframing what luxury looks like for multi-gen travelers.
This isn’t just a collection; it’s a branded invitation to pause: build sandcastles, take art classes by the sea, sit down for a curated family meal served on fine china, barefoot and unbothered.
If luxury travel in the 2010s was about escape, then 2025 is asking us to return: to family, to leisure, to legacy.
photo @St. Regis x @Vilebrequin
A Soft Critique: The Risk of the Polished Echo Chamber
Still, it’s worth noting a gentle tension: in designing for nostalgia and heritage, brands like St. Regis and Vilebrequin must guard against a certain visual sameness. Striped trunks, vintage prints, and branded beach paddles risk becoming background noise in a crowded Instagrammable universe if not punctuated with deeper, more meaningful differentiation.
Is a curated towel enough to tell a story? Can a beachside experience transcend spectacle and become something spiritual?
The answer lies not just in product, but in personality—and that’s where both brands must continue to evolve. There’s a fine line between timeless and tame.
Why This Matters for the Future of Premium Hospitality
This collaboration sets an important precedent for how luxury hotels approach brand partnerships going forward. No longer content with logo mash-ups or VIP gifting suites, the new gold standard is experiential retail with emotional resonance.
By embedding the capsule within its on-site resorts—each tailored to its local culture and peak travel season—St. Regis ensures that the purchase becomes part of a memory. Vilebrequin, in turn, avoids the trap of being just another boutique brand and becomes something more enduring: a co-creator of tradition.
It also hints at an evolving blueprint for hospitality groups: why stop at fashion? Imagine future partnerships with literature, film, or heritage artisans — collaborations that turn the family vacation into a living, breathing story.
What’s Next: A Blueprint for Long-Term Impact
For this collaboration to achieve lasting relevance, both brands must continue to:
Anchor experiences in emotional storytelling – More than motifs, guests crave connection. Let future collections be inspired by family archives, childhood adventures, or guest-submitted memories.
Extend beyond the shoreline – Could we see an après-sun capsule for city hotels? A winter ski edition?
Infuse sustainability into storytelling – Vilebrequin’s strides in recycled materials and ocean-friendly design should be spotlighted, not sidelined.
Create collectible traditions – Just as families pass down photo albums and monogrammed robes, let these keepsakes become heirlooms, one season at a time.
