After Prada, Dior and Armani, Versace is the next designer house to enter the lucrative mobile phone market. It has been announced that Versace would launch its own luxury mobile phone range this spring.
Versace is planning to unveil the new handset to a group of VIP clients in a private exhibition at the Paris Haute Couture week later this month.
It has also been confirmed that, the Italian fashion giant has tied up with the French firm, ModeLabs Group, to design, manufacture and distribute the mobile phone. ModeLabs Group has previously produced luxury mobile phones for other designer brands, such as, Christian Dior and Tag Heuer.
“We are very proud to have been chosen by Versace to bring their new range of luxury mobile phones to life. Crafted from the finest materials and built to the uncompromising standards of the Versace Atelier, they will combine the latest technologies and incomparable Italian craftsmanship”, said Stephane Bohbot, Modelabs Group CEO.
The handset is being designed by Donatella Versace and is expected to be available commercially in the brand's boutiques as well as high-end watch and jewelry stores in May.
The price tag of the handset is yet not disclosed, but it has been announced that the phone will retail for more than Dior's phone, which costs €3,500, or about $5,000.
ModeLabs chief executive, Stephane Bohbot told the Wall Street Journal: "Before, brands couldn't imagine that a luxury telephone was possible. Now, limited distribution and customised design have created a new interest for brands in telephones."
