ALL the gold and gilding and Italian baroque that Versace brings to mind can now surround your own home. Versace Home, the brand’s furniture and decor line, is now in the Philippines.
The collections were launched on July 28 at BGC’s Metropolitan Museum of Manila. Guests surveyed chairs with Versace’s Medusa logo carved out as a relief from the back of a chair, standing on gray carpets with their tuft showing the Medusa. There was a vanity table with its mirror glazed with another Versace design signature, the Greek meander pattern, and an ottoman shaped like a giant pillow, printed all over with Versace gold motifs. Finally, there were masses and masses of Versace porcelain, made in collaboration with German porcelain manufacturer Rosenthal.
The launch also served to introduce celebrity and haute couture enthusiast Heart Evangelista (a screen name, she is Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero in real life) as the ambassador of Opulence, the Filipino company which brought Versace Home to the Philippines.
Ms. Escudero said in a speech, “It’s not about the price tag. It’s how it’s made with quality. I feel like at a certain time in our life, we all deserve quality. We work so hard.
“It’s not necessarily about being expensive,” said the actress and socialite. “Luxury is about what I feel in a sense that you’re giving something to yourself, by making you feel good,” she said. “You only live once. So you have to enjoy every moment.”
“Heart embodies opulence,” said Jinky Sy, one-half of the couple (alongside her husband Gerry) who owns Opulence. “We were thinking of who to choose [as their ambassador], but it’s only Heart who can really — she has that aura, that style, that taste. It fits well with the brands we carry.”
Among the brands that are distributed by Opulence are Fornasetti, Versace Home, Misuraemme, Stosa Cucine, Versace by Rosenthal, Swarovski by Rosenthal, Sambonet, Thomas, and Vimar.
Vimar, a line of luxury light switches frequently used in hotels, kicked off the Sy couple’s business. In an interview, they said that the sales of light switches weren’t as fast (they tend to last long after a construction project has been finished), so they moved on to furniture and home decor. As for their affinity for Italian brands, Mr. Sy said, “As you know, Italians are famous for their furniture. When you say design, it’s Italy. I think we’re on the right track.”
The brands have a far-reaching price range: one can have Versace-branded porcelain for P3,000, but then, the carpets jump up to P1.8 million.
“Versace has always been an iconic brand,” said Mrs. Sy. “It has been synonymous with luxury, style, and elegance. When they introduced the home line, we took the opportunity to bring it here.”
Opulence showrooms can be found in Greenhills, The Podium, and in Rockwell. — Joseph L. Garcia