Starboard to Debut Vibrant, Immersive Retail Experiences Aboard Virgin Voyages’ Newest Ship, Brilliant Lady

September 03, 2025 at 10:46 AM EDT

As Exclusive Retail Partner for Brilliant Lady’s Inaugural Sailings, Starboard Curates Shopping Experiences Blending Luxury, Sustainability and Discovery

Starboard Group, the world’s leading retail curator at sea, today announced the latest expansion of its partnership with Virgin Voyages as the exclusive retail partner for Brilliant Lady. Starboard will offer a vibrant, curated shopping experience at sea, blending luxury, sustainability and discovery across 5,500 square feet of retail space on the ship, which will depart from New York City on its inaugural voyage. From exclusive, destination-inspired collections to iconic fashion, beauty and fine jewelry brands, the retail offering is designed to enhance the Virgin Voyages experience for every Sailor.

“We’re proud to continue building our partnership with Virgin Voyages as its exclusive retail partner for Brilliant Lady’s inaugural season,” said Lisa Bauer, Starboard’s President and CEO. “We’ve leveraged our curation expertise, creativity and global resources to create unforgettable retail offerings that perfectly reflect Virgin Voyages’ blend of modern, adults-only sophistication and rebellious fun.”

Starboard will reimagine retail on Brilliant Lady through bold visual merchandising, open-flow boutiques and pop-up activations that create an experience that’s less traditional store and more concept gallery. From lab-created diamonds and limited-edition designer collections to sustainable fashion labels, cult beauty and destination-inspired assortments, Starboard will bring trend-forward brands directly to sea.

“Starboard is unique in its ability to turn retail into an immersive lifestyle experience that enhances each voyage, and we’re pleased to expand our partnership as we launch Brilliant Lady,” said Nicole Huang, SVP of Fleet Experiences at Virgin Voyages. “Through thoughtful curation and one-of-a-kind activations that blend exclusivity, storytelling and personalization, Starboard is setting a new standard for cruise retail and helping ensure our Sailors have an unforgettable experience.”

First-at-Sea Luxury Offerings

Aboard Brilliant Lady, Starboard is pioneering the future of cruise beauty retail with the launch of the very first Clarins boutique at sea, offering a tailored selection from the French luxury brand along with personalized beauty consultations and complete look transformations. Other first-at-sea offerings will include stunning assortments from Blue Stallion Farm and cruelty-free, clean beauty from Briogeo. Men’s and women’s fragrances from the world’s most renowned luxury brands, including INITIO, Loewe, Mancera, Montale and Tom Ford, will also feature prominently. In addition, Virgin Voyages will debut its first TAG Heuer boutique and smart sunglasses from the new Ray-Ban® Meta AI collection onboard Brilliant Lady.

Immersive Activations, Personalization and Sustainability

Multi-sensory activations that spark connection, create memories and foster discovery—such as exclusive liquor tastings, trunk shows and personalized styling sessions—will be key to the Brilliant Lady retail experience. Customization options will range from the engraving of jewelry, fragrances and liquor bottles to personalization of apparel and accessories with Virgin Voyages–themed patches.

Sustainability will be a core retail pillar, building on Virgin Voyages’ ethos of “Creating an Epic Sea Change for All.” The line already partners with like-minded brands that source responsibly, such as Yellow Leaf Hammocks and Intelligentsia. On Brilliant Lady’s High Street, Sailors will discover an expertly curated selection designed to extend product life cycles and reduce environmental impact, from certified pre-owned Rolex watches to lab-grown diamonds by sustainable jewelry brand Engrace Diamonds to vintage luxury handbags from What Goes Around Comes Around. This commitment extends beyond retail, with initiatives like reusable mugs that help eliminate single-use plastic bottles.

Fine Jewelry, Designer Fashion and Destination-Inspired Finds

Brilliant Lady will also feature fine jewelry from Roberto Coin, the Italian luxury brand celebrated for its craftsmanship, quality and design, along with artisan handcrafted pieces from John Hardy and modern, fashion-forward designs from Shy Creation. The fashion jewelry shop will offer collections from Uno de 50, Swarovski, Kendra Scott, Jet Set Candy and Shae, Starboard’s exclusive fashion jewelry brand.

The luxury accessories selection will showcase handbags and small leather goods from Coach, Marc Jacobs and Kurt Geiger, complemented by a range of timepieces, from the Swiss precision of Frédérique Constant, Longines, Movado, Norqain and Tissot to the timeless appeal of Bulova and Citizen.

Women’s resortwear, accessories and lifestyle pieces from trend-forward labels such as Kiwi St. Tropez, Lamarque and Skemo will be offered, while athleisure fans can enjoy stylish, functional Fabletics apparel for both men and women. Men’s fashion options will include contemporary picks from 7 Diamonds, Invicta, John Hatter & Co., Mavrans and New Era. Tees, tanks, hats, totes and sunglasses adorned with the iconic Virgin Voyages logo will also be available, along with a special collection celebrating Brilliant Lady’s inaugural season.

Brilliant Lady will launch from New York, making her way down the East Coast to her home port of Miami for a winter season in the Caribbean. In 2026, she will reposition to Los Angeles in preparation for her highly anticipated Alaska itineraries—a first for the Virgin Voyages fleet.

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About Virgin Voyages

Promising to Create an Epic Sea Change for All, Virgin Voyages is the award-winning, exclusively adult cruise line founded by Sir Richard Branson. Delivering unforgettable, relaxing vacations at sea, Virgin Voyages launched at the end of 2021. Inspired by superyacht design, its fleet of Lady Ships exemplify an elevated, boutique hotel at sea with contemporary spaces that strike the perfect balance of nautical chic and glamour. Currently departing from the sun-soaked cities of Miami, Barcelona, Athens and San Juan, the fleet offers more than 60 unique itineraries, sailing to 100 incredible ports of call. On-board, 20+ eateries feature culinary experiences from Michelin-star chefs, stylish workout spaces and group fitness classes are offered daily, and a festival-like line-up of intimate and larger-than-life shows are on the agenda. Paired with modern, tech-savvy cabins, designer suites fit for a rockstar and a mermaid-inspired spa and thermal suite, the brand is taking the industry by storm. For three consecutive years – 2023, 2024 and 2025 – Virgin Voyages won best cruise line in Travel + Leisure’s highly coveted World’s Best Awards for mega-ship ocean cruise line, along with the 2023 and 2024 Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for best large ocean cruise line.

About Starboard

Charting a new course in the duty-free industry since 1958, Starboard has been the world’s leading vacation retailer at sea with the purpose of curating a vibrant world for guests, cruise line partners, brand collaborators and employees. Starboard’s transformative retail elevates the experience on more than 90 ships across 14 world-class cruise line partners: Blue Dream, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America, Resort World Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, TUI Cruises and Virgin Voyages. Starboard’s dedicated Luxury Division partners with Azamara, Crystal, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Silversea, and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.

Starboard is consistently recognized for quality and innovation by the travel industry, championing numerous awards, including DFNI-Frontier Americas Travel Retailer of the Year, Asia/Pacific Cruise Retailer of the Year, Global Cruise Retailer of the Year and Exceptional Achievement by a Cruise Retailer.

Going beyond sailing, Starboard’s sister company, Onboard Media, creates multimedia products for top companies in the travel and hospitality industry, driving brand awareness to generate sales and grow revenue. Both businesses are headquartered in Miami with additional Starboard offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Genoa, Italy.

Starboard and Onboard Media are proud to be a part of Global Travel Retail Holdings, LLC, an industry leading travel and technology-centric joint venture in partnership with Gissy Investments and LVMH.