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Renzo Rosso

Renzo Rosso Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of The Pelican Hotel in South Beach

The Italian businessman and entrepreneur behind houses like Marni and Margiela, Renzo Rosso, was honored at his Pelican Hotel in Miami. There, we sat down to talk past, present, and future of the creative and cultural landmark.

Late last year during Miami Art Week, Italian businessman and entrepreneur Renzo Rosso celebrated in the 30th anniversary of the Pelican Hotel. The historic, Art Deco property—ideally situated on shimmering Ocean Drive in South Beach—was first constructed in 1948. The pioneering Rosso acquired the hotel in 1990, bringing to life a new hub of creative and cultural dynamism. The visionary chairman of global fashion group OTB—which comprises illustrious brands such as DIESEL, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni, and Viktor&Rolf—boldly rejuvenated the iconic hotel alongside the masterful DIESEL Creative Team. While in The Magic City, Rosso was honored with a singular proclamation by Commissioner Laura Dominguez, deeming December 5 as the annual Pelican Hotel Day. 

On this occasion, Whitewall caught up with the ever-inspired Rosso to speak about the beloved hotel’s most recent renovations, Art Basel favorites, and his remarkable knack for spotting untapped potential.

Renzo Rosso Courtesy of Renzo Rosso.
The Pelican Hotel facade Courtesy of The Pelican Hotel.

WHITEWALL: Where does your story with the Pelican Hotel begin?

RENZO ROSSO: My beginning here was strange. The town and the country were totally different. There was really nothing at that moment, especially on this street. The city was in decay, the buildings on the way down… but when I arrived here, I fell in love with the district because it was Art Deco, and I love architectural design and the design of the 50s. There was an incredible contrast between the beautiful Deco architecture, old people coming here to retire, and gorgeous models doing photoshoots on the beach. I said, ‘Wow, I love this place.’

I’ve always been someone who sees the potential of a place before others, like when I opened my first store in New York, for example. I opened the Diesel store on Lexington when there was just Bloomingdale’s. I went there because I thought it could become a good place—and it did. This occurred on many occasions, like in London where I opened the first Diesel store in Covent Garden when there was nothing there and then it became huge. 

“I’ve always been someone who sees the potential of a place before others,”

Renzo Rosso

When I discovered South Beach, I also met Gianni Versace, who was here at the same time. He bought the house; I bought the hotel. I saw the street, and 48 hours later I bought the building. I went home and told my people who did not understand why I had done it!

The hotel was designed by my Creative Team in Italy. The only thing I told them was that I wanted to stay with the Deco design. Everyone wanted to work on it, and everyone came in with a different idea. In the end, we built 28 rooms. Every room was very different from the other—but all Deco. Every room has a different theme and name, so guests always have a new reason to come back to the hotel. 

Another incredible thing was that half of the first floor was home to Ford Model Agency. Try to imagine, in the 1990s, to have the most beautiful top models pass through the hotel lobby… The bar was full, the restaurant was full, the atmosphere was cooler and cooler. For the first 10 years, it was one of the best 50 boutique hotels in the world.

After, the street became more commercial, the hotel was still doing well, but the traffic had changed a lot. Eight years ago, we talked to City Hall and said we wanted to leave. They said, ‘no, stay, we’re going to renovate Ocean Drive’. Today the street has started to become better. It’s not yet like it used to be, but it will get there. 

Two years ago, we renovated the hotel and invested a lot in it because I love to make things beautiful, not just functional. We updated the air conditioning, the insulation—and bought a lot of vintage furniture.

The hotel had opened with vintage furniture, but after a while some pieces broke down and were replaced with new pieces of furniture. Today, after the renovation, I am proud to say that every single room is once again full of only original vintage pieces. 

WW: How did you spend the time finding these pieces? 

RR: My son Andrea stayed here for months and visited every market and store. Now I’m happy to say that it’s really beautiful. I think the Pelican still has this iconic name worldwide, you can sit here with people from all over the world—Holland, England, France, Brazil, Argentina—every country. They love to come here for the food, but also for the ambience. I arrived here at five o’clock yesterday morning, and the light, the warmth, the atmosphere was so nice. 

The Pelican Hotel - GO BANANAS “GO BANANAS,” Courtesy of The Pelican Hotel.

Renzo Rosso Bravely Shapes Worldwide Luxury Branding 

WW: Do you think the Pelican Hotel played a role in shaping the intersection of hospitality, fashion, and creativity within OTB? 

RR: Not only in OTB, but I would also say in worldwide luxury branding. This hotel was built in the 90s. After that, many fashion brands transitioned into doing hotels—Fendi, Armani, Bulgari—and many others are moving in this direction. I’m happy to have been one of the first.

What I think I do differently is that I try to bring in the DNA of wherever I am and establish a relationship with the local people. 

“What I think I do differently is that I try to bring in the DNA of wherever I am and establish a relationship with the local people,”

Renzo Rosso

Now I’m working on a new property in Cortina, the Ancora Hotel, which I hope to open in a few months. It’s becoming super cool. It has that pure Cortina atmosphere, good food, elegant luxury. 

WW: What does it mean today for you to be brave? 

RR: I think I was brave my whole life. Some people might say I’m crazy, but I don’t think I am. For me to be brave is just to do things before others. 

And this is also thanks to the people who are close to me, the people I meet, I trust, I share my opinions with. When you live alongside the younger generations, you receive a lot of input. I am still so curious. I love to see what other people are doing. I love to learn from others. I admire people who are doing better than me because I can take inspiration from what they are doing. 

What I have accomplished is because I behaved in a brave way, because I had the courage to do some things before others. This makes me happier, braver—it makes me who I am. 

The Pelican Hotel - GREEN BOO “GREEN BOO,” Courtesy of The Pelican Hotel.

Sustainability and Longevity Placed at the Heart 

WW: Going back to all the different aspects of the businesses that you have. When you talk about longevity, when you talk about agriculture, there’s an element of sustainability that is really present. 

RR: My first business was fashion, the outer part of us. I think you can show who you are by how you dress. With your style, you can show your attitude, and wear it for who you want to be. Then, I started thinking more about the inner side. You are what you eat, and you feel good thanks to it. I have a farm and a few wineries. I invested in companies that sell food online, like Cortilia or Natura Si’, an organic food store. When you speak to doctors, they tell you that it’s incredible to see how the skin of children improves when they eat organic food. Eating well is so important for beauty and for longevity. This is what we are working on now. 

My last investment is precisely a clinic for longevity and beauty, and it’s unbelievable what I am discovering. Today, you don’t need to do invasive surgery anymore, you can do everything with laser. But to live well, you need to have all your organs working at the same level. If one organ works at 80% and others at 40%, you have an imbalance which can cause illness.

The Pelican Hotel -EXECUTIVE ZEBRA “EXECUTIVE ZEBRA,” Courtesy of The Pelican Hotel.

Renzo Rosso’s Advice for Emerging Creatives 

WW: What advice would you give to young creatives who are aspiring to redefine industries in fashion and design? 

RR: It depends. If you want to do your own line, you have to decide what you want to be, have your own vision of how you see your collections. If you’re working for a brand, you have to follow its DNA, the heritage of the brand. But in both cases, what is very important for young designers, and what I always tell them, is to be creative. Try to extend yourself, go a little bit crazy, more creative. Through creativity, you can create the desire in people to come see what you do. Creativity sparks a desire, a uniqueness, an exclusivity. 

“Creativity sparks a desire, a uniqueness, an exclusivity,”

Renzo Rosso

What I tell them is, if you are not creative, you are just another collection and you can only compete in pricing. Besides that, I tell them that they have to suffer. They have to make mistakes. If they don’t suffer, if they don’t make mistakes, if they don’t hit their head against the wall, they can never learn. It is through mistakes that you learn for next time. And don’t think too big, just be cool and be happy. This is the most important thing. 

You have to measure your life by how happy you are. And if you do become big, it is still important that you are happy, that you go to work in the morning and you’re happy to do it, and you are happy also in your private life, with your friends, your family. This is what I recommend to them—creativity, suffering, growth, and happiness. 

The Pelican Hotel - Deluxe king suite “LUST IN SPACE” Deluxe king suite, Courtesy of The Pelican Hotel.

New Discoveries and Inspirations at Art Basel and Beyond 

WW: We are in Art Basel this week. Did you manage to go to the fair? 

RR: I was there already. 

WW: Are you collecting any type of art at this moment? Are you excited by anything right now? 

RR: I love so many things. Yesterday I saw a round piece from Murakami that I would very much love for my daughter’s bedroom. I saw a piece from Fontana that I had never seen before, I was so in love with it. 

I saw many things. Sometimes I take a picture because it inspires me, and I give it to my people for graphics, interior design, anything we need. When you go to see a show, it’s not just for buying. If I find something I like, I buy it with pleasure. But it’s also for inspiration, creativity, color combinations. 

I love creativity. I love to see what other people do. I go inside stores to see what my competitors are doing. I ask the people working in the stores what’s selling out. Even in a supermarket, I like to observe how items are displayed, the colors, the prints, and when I see something I like, I photograph it and I keep it. One day, I might use it. 

WW: Are you going to do an archival book with all your inspirations, and all the sources that you’ve encountered? 

RR: No. Throughout my traveling, through my way of looking at things, I take pictures that I send to the people who I think might be inspired by them. Maybe they are good for the Pelican Hotel, or for Marni, or Margiela, or Diesel. Or for the furniture.

WW: What was the most exciting thing that you were looking for this week? 

RR: I am in town for many reasons. First of all, the 30th anniversary of the Pelican Hotel and the proclamation of the City of Miami that I received for my work on the Pelican. Yesterday we had an event for Margiela with a special tattoo artist. Tomorrow, we have a Diesel fragrance event.

After this, I go to LA to scout for new store locations. Then, I will go to New York with my CEO to visit our current locations there and see how they are working. Maybe we have to move some of them because they are not in the right place for the brand anymore. When I travel, I travel for days. I like to go to the stores, speak with my retail managers, with the people working in the stores, and not just read reports. Perhaps the numbers in reports are old by the time you read them. If you go to a store and speak with the people who work there, you can immediately ask, what works now? What is not working? What did the customer demand that we don’t have? What are your suggestions? How do you feel? This means so much more to me than to read a report.

The Pelican Hotel - Deluxe Queen “CUBAREAN ISLANDS” Deluxe Queen, Courtesy of The Pelican Hotel.

SAME AS TODAY

Featured image credits: Photo by Martin Schoeller, courtesy of Renzo Rosso.

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