Versace is coming to Makati

 Yes, Versace is coming to Makati. Not through the opening of a boutique alongside other fashion giants Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Prada. It will be something bigger and grander — as big as a residential condominium and as grand as a 53-storey, P3-billion project.

Called the Milano Residences, this designer condominium, the first by the Versace Group in Southeast Asia, will rise in the 3.4-hectare Century City, the flagship mixed-use development of Century Properties in Makati, which includes luxury residential towers like the New York-inspired Gramercy Residences, the London-inspired Knightsbridge Residences, an IT park, a medical IT building and a shopping center.

The Milan-inspired Milano Residences will be interior designed by Versace Home and this Italian brand’s exquisite imprint will be seen in the grand lobby, hallways, lounge, library, pool, garden and spa. Versace Home will also create inspirations that residents may adopt for their own units.

Now that’s what you may call collectible real estate.

There will be 340 units that include one- to three-bedroom units, as well as The Penthouses, The Townhouses (already sold out), and Italian-inspired units called The Loggias, which feature breathtaking private plunge pools — a first in a Makati condo.

Century Properties, headed by the fearless innovator Joey Antonio, has this habit of creating firsts in the real estate industry. I remember that Joey was the first to envision a then seemingly ambitious luxury project designed by the I.M. Pei team — the Essensa — which I consider one of the best-designed condos in Metro Manila. Think of a floor-to-ceiling panoramic view from your breakfast nook, and you get the picture.

Joey was also the first to offer fully-furnished condos through the SOMA Residences at The Fort. And now, other condominium builders are doing similar projects. This eye for creativity and a remarkable work ethic were obviously absorbed by his sons Jigger, Marco, Robbie and Carlo, who embrace their father’s vision while offering their own personal insights.

Fashion team-up of the Century: Sealing the partnership in Milan, Italy are Century Properties managing director Robbie Antonio, Versace chairman and presitdent Santo Versace, and Versace executive officer Gian Giacomo Ferraris.

Collectible real estate was precisely the catchphrase in Robbie Antonio’s mind when he was appointed project head of the Milano Residences by Century Properties. Himself looking dapper and fashionable (smart-chic may be a better word for this dude who collected honors at Stanford U. and worked in New York soon after), Robbie tells us all about the Versace Home project rising in Makati, in between bites of aburi toro, ama ebi and grilled hamachi at Shangri-La Makati’s Inagiku.

Excerpts:

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: What inspired you to do the Milano Residences in partnership with Versace Home?

ROBBIE ANTONIO: Versace serves as the pinnacle of luxury, and what better way to create a novel concept by fusing high-impact design with real estate into an utterly distinctive package. Versace has extended its brand from fashion to other lifestyle concepts and so, for their Versace Home line, it was perfectly logical to combine the sophisticated elements of an internationally-recognized designer brand with pioneering real estate. It’s livable fashion in its purest sense.

When and where did you meet with the Versace Home group?

I was in New York City where we were developing our hyper-luxury residential project off 5th Avenue. During that time frame, we were able to meet some of the world’s best industry practitioners — global developers, five-star brands, Pritzker Prize architects and international brands and designers. I met with Versace’s top management in New York City a few years ago and discussed the possibility of collaborating for our subsequent projects. Earlier this year, while our team at Century Properties was conceptualizing its third building in Century City, Makati, we realized that it was the opportune time to bring in Versace Home into Southeast Asia.

Tell us about your meeting with Donatella Versace. And her brother Santo?

 We have been working with the Versace Home team and they have been great. They have been to Manila to check the site and we met in   Milan several times this year — I just saw Donatella a month ago during Women’s Milan Fashion Week to discuss the property with her along with other key design and marketing team members. Two weeks thereafter, I flew back and saw Santo Versace to discuss Milano Residences with him and some other key design and marketing team members. Needless to say, Donatella and Santo are brilliant individuals in their own right.

So edgy, so Versace: Classic with a twist is this rendering of the Milano Residences’ library area where that Versace purity of design is seen on the all-white furniture pieces and that quirky touch is felt on the throw pillows and on the floor.

 Will we see the Versace touch from the facade up to the details in the condo unit?

 Indubitably, Versace Home’s design philosophy is showcased in the project’s interiors. The amenity spaces and common areas have been painstakingly designed by Versace Home to reflect a lifestyle and embody a standard of living unlike any other building in the country. We are also furthering the brand’s design ethos by providing clients with the option to have their units furnished and detailed by Versace Home.

 There is something edgy, foxy, sexy and fabulous yet classic in a typical Versace design. Think Versace women and images of Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry and Liz Hurley come to mind. Will we see this edginess and sexiness in the Milano Residences?

 Edgy, chic, provocative. Yes, these are words that would encapsulate the Milano Residences. The Versace myth, as it has been said many times, is centered on the idea of a world of glamour and sexiness. Milano Residences stays true to this adage by positioning itself as an avant-garde development, offering a lifestyle that has never been made available in Manila.

You are a fashionable dresser yourself. Has Versace always been a personal favorite of yours?

 Thank you for the compliment. I have always considered Versace as a good benchmark of style and glamour. I always believe that design should not only emanate from the clothes you wear but should be incorporated into various facets of your life. It should be rooted into your surroundings — from the couch that you sit on, to the drapes that give a room character, to the lamp that lights your entire room and to the tiles you look at in your bathroom when you are about to start your day.

How hands-on are the Versace siblings when it comes to details for the Milano Residences?

Pure elegance: From the chandeliers down to the furniture, you can feel that unique Versace stamp of high fashion that is translated in the Milano Residences’ lobby.

Donatella Versace serves as the creative director of the Versace Group and manages an excellent team of designers. The interior details were carefully scrutinized by the group to showcase the brand’s unique and sophisticated persona.

These renderings of the Milano interiors are so modern and quite impressive. Will the furnishings be 100 percent Versace Home?

The amenities of Milano — such as the grand double height lobby, lounge, swimming pool, library, pool garden, gym, roof garden, and spa — were designed by Versace Home. As mentioned earlier, we are also offering customizable unit interiors for those who would like to have Versace Home-designed furniture, accent pieces, and bathroom finishes.

 Did you get to visit any of the Versace-designed projects in Australia and the Middle East? How different will the Makati project be?

The Versace Home team flew to Manila and throughout the whole period of our collaboration we believe they have gathered an understanding of the cultural specifics preferred by the Philippine market. We believe this exercise helped them create a modern and elegant look that is both internationally recognized and locally formidable. Many of their designs and furniture were custom-made for the Milano Residences.

What is your target market? How affordable will the units be?

We are introducing our pre-selling price at roughly the same price per square meter vis-à-vis luxury properties in Makati and Fort Bonifacio, which is quite a competitive value proposition for a product that is in a league on its own. Our clientele comprise the upscale genre with discriminating preferences in lifestyle and who believe these are limited-edition real estate units whose value would increase exponentially throughout time.

At Century Properties, we believe that every project should be a class all its own and should create a sense of prestige. It is by providing the local market with better choices in terms of exceptional quality, impeccable design, and pride of ownership that we elevate the standards and expectations of the people, to what our clients truly want but have never been offered. We also have some very special features in our units — close to 29 percent of our units will have outdoor private wading pools.

Now that you are building this Versace Home-interior designed residential condominium, what’s your next dream project?

The country should be catapulted into new heights architecturally and conceptually so that local consumers and foreign expatriates alike can enjoy such products and espouse avant-garde ideas. Dubai and New York went through this; Abu Dhabi is going through it right now. Why not Manila ?

* * *

Century Properties will open the showroom of the Milano Residences in the first quarter of 2011 at the Pacific Star Building in Makati. Visit www.milanoresidences.com.ph or call 818-9041 for details.