Inside Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence and LuisaViaRoma Celebrations – WWD

CLIQUE IN RESIDENCE: An intimate dinner at the storied Il Baretto al Baglioni location in Milan celebrated the collaboration between Gigi Hadid’s cashmere brand Guest in Residence and LuisaViaRoma on Thursday.

The event saw the model and entrepreneur’s fashion inner circle in attendance, including the likes of Moncler chairman and chief executive officer Remo Ruffini; Vogue’s global creative and cultural adviser Edward Enninful; makeup artist Pat McGrath; models Toni Garrn, Ashley Graham and Bianca Balti, in addition to LuisaViaRoma’s president Andrea Panconesi and Style Capital founding partner and CEO Roberta Benaglia.

“On behalf of myself and the Guest in Residence team I just wanted to thank the whole LuisaViaRoma team for being such wonderful people to work with, such a great, exciting partner for us,” said Hadid while raising the glass for a toast.

“It’s so nice to celebrate here in Milan. Well, Milan has given me so much in my career and so many of you in this room have, so it just means a lot to me for you all to be here,” she said, before getting emotional and wrapping up her speech.

Seated next to her, Ruffini quickly intervened in her help. “For me, Guest in Residence is one of the best upcoming brands,” he said, recalling how he’s known Hadid since the beginning of her modeling career.

Encompassing extra-fine rib knit cardigans with fluid bell sleeves, cashmere bandeau tops and midi skirts priced between 155 euros and 530 euros, the range of exclusive styles dropped just few hours before the event at the retailer’s flagship in Florence and online, alongside the label’s main fall 2023 collection.

As reported, to further mark the launch, the LuisaViaRoma Florentine store will dedicate to the tie-up two installations — one this month and one to be staged in November — as well as multiple activations off- and online.

Founder and creative director of the brand, Hadid officially launched the fashion label in September last year, after having teased the project on social media with behind-the-scenes images of the design process, which sparked instant internet buzz at the time. 

Earlier this year, Guest in Residence released an exclusive co-branded capsule with The Snow Lodge, the sister property of The Surf Lodge, located at the St. Regis in Aspen. It consisted of three 100 percent cashmere styles, including an oversize hoodie and true crew, and boasted a co-branded logo.

While this is Hadid’s first clothing brand, she has been in the fashion world virtually her whole life, starting her modeling career as a toddler, when she appeared in a campaign at the age of two. She ultimately signed with IMG in 2011 and made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2014. Ever since, she has become one of today’s biggest models, working with all the major design houses and fronting advertising campaigns for brands of the likes of Miu Miu, Versace, Jacquemus, Hugo Boss and Self-Portrait, to name a few.

Hadid made a foray into design by collaborating with brands including Frankies Bikinis, Reebok, Stuart Weitzman and Tommy Hilfiger. In particular, her tie-up with Hilfiger marked the first time a celebrity codesigned a collection and shared the label with the American designer.