A new era for the global travel icon
Immortalised in film, steeped in history – the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express needs little introduction. Heart of the collection of luxury travel pioneer, Belmond, LVMH Maison since 2019, the train itself evokes a golden age of travel with the impeccable service, opulence and sense of occasion unique to that time. Yet even an icon can fall behind, and Nelson Associates were appointed to undertake a forensic review of the brand’s foundations and DNA before, creating an intensive design and branding programme to shape every aspect of the customer journey.
Commissioned to reinterpret luxury for the discerning modern traveller our starting point, naturally, was the brand’s rich heritage – that eternal thread from its 1883 launch to iterations of today. Working closely with the train’s General Manager, we fully deciphered the brand’s unique spirit into a strategy and narrative that would create a lasting, emotive statement in the contemporary luxury landscape. We transformed the brand from within, breathing into it a revitalized, lighter, more modern spirit to lift and transform every touchpoint, with a fully bespoke approach to the design, from accommodation to dining, literature to the on-board boutique.
Our new visual identity has entirely reinvented the heritage already woven into the soul of the brand. Taking inspiration from the brand’s original visual creators, Renés Lalique and Prou, our re-branded pieces have become desirable keepsakes from the journey, sought-after by customers established and new. As we steer this grand icon into a modern age of pared-back luxury, we have re-articulated a powerful legacy into a new era of experience, exploration and discovery.