A fashion house that now houses people..

The renowned Italian fashion brand Missoni - famed for its rainbow catwalk prints which translate equally well to soft furnishings - is branching out into the hospitality industry. Part of a global licensing agreement in conjunction with The Rezidor Hotel Group, the first of 30 Hotel Missoni hotels is due to open in Edinburgh in June, with a second due to open in Kuwait later this year. A great showcase for Missoni, the hotel will expose guests to the Missoni brand and ethos in a way and to an intensity that traditional advertising simply cannot do.

This concept was embraced just over a decade ago with the opening of Charlton House Hotel in Somerset, after the property was purchased by the creators of the Mulberry brand and decorated with Mulberry soft furnishings - a great advertisement for the brand's ethos and products. Assuming this advertising strategy works (as it did in Fashionista's experience), the Mulberry factory shop is just a stone's throw away so hotel guests can continue to experience the brand at home.

Fashionista asks: is this an example of thinking outside the box in times of economic downturn? will branching out into the hospitality industry attract a broader consumer group, extending to those more likely to save up for an experience rather than an object: a mini-break rather than another addition to the wardrobe? After all, when times are tough, who knows when there will next be an occasion to wear said addition?