House of Luxury champions regional designers with new virtual reality shopping experience

The aptly named House of Luxury lived up to its moniker this month, when it launched a series of state-of-the-art virtual trunk shows for high-end jewellery and watchmakers.

Created in response to the shutdown of stores and boutiques amid the coronavirus pandemic, HoL embarked on its first ever foray into virtual reality, with a site that allows customers to browse – and shop – in an immersive and interactive new platform.

Presented as a series of trunk shows, each 'edition' offers access to curated pieces from selected jewellery and watchmaking houses, enhanced with built-in virtual-reality features.

Included are some of the biggest watch and jewellery houses in the world, such as Bulgari, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, as well as some famous names from this region, too.

Hand-picked for their quality and craftsmanship, three ateliers from the Arab world feature among the labels on display. Beiruti atelier Tabbah is the first, a brand highly regarded for its fluid, feminine fine jewellery.

Dubai brand Aisha Baker is also part of the trunk show, courtesy of its delicate pieces infused with a playful sense of magic. Since launching in 2017, the label has drawn inspiration from childhood tales of enchantment and mystery, translated into exquisite pieces filled with colour and whimsy. More works of art than jewellery, many are unique.

On being invited to take part in the virtual trunk show, co-founder Baker explained that “we are happy to be a part of this project, especially in this very challenging time for the industry”.

The final regional house to take part is Noudar, named for the ancient Arabic word for gold. The brand looks to Arabic heritage, such as elegant Omani patterning, in its pieces.

With a rotating calendar of virtual exhibitions – the next launch on Saturday, April 25 and Saturday, May 9 – every trunk show will culminate in a charity auction, in aid of the World Health Organisation.

“It's a small way for us and our brand partners to support medical professionals around the world on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19," says House of Luxury founder Elio D’Anna.