Back in the day Victor Kiam famously liked Remington's products so much he bought the company.
Well, John Rocha liked the designs he did for the Orion building opposite the Mailbox that he has invested in some apartments himself.
"Maybe one of my daughters will come to study at Birmingham University and she can live here," he said.
As living standards go, it would be a cut above the usual utilitarian dorm rooms decorated with pilfered road signs and pyramid art constructed from empty lager cans.
A one bedroom/one bath apartment starts at #182,500 rising to #1,650,00 for the three bedroom three bathroomed (and a cloakroom toilet in case you are caught really short) penthouse with 360 degree views across Birmingham.
The penthouse is, quite literally, the scheme's crowning achievement and the one in which John had the most freedom to express himself.
"People say that when a woman has a baby it is the greatest sensation," says John, perching comfortably on one of the Penthouse's cream leather sofas.
"This project has been four years in the making. We had a vision of what we wanted to achieve and it is great to see that finally happen."
The 'we' is Crosby Homes who approached John and asked him to bring his design and architectural expertise to create a building "the people of Birmingham could be proud of, but everywhere you look there would be something of John Rocha."
The impact starts in the lobby with a dramatic water wall – cool water cascading down ridged marble in a constant stream.
The word landmark building is one that is increasingly bandied when it comes to the changing cityscape, from the Mailbox to Selfridges to the Beetham Tower. Even the Rotunda is being stripped of its dated skin in an effort to restore its architectural credibility.
It is one that John uses in relation to the Orion and he says that he spent several days in Birmingham to get a feel for the city.
"One thing I like about it is it is multi cultural," explains John, who is something of a mix himself. Of Chinese and Portuguese descent, he was born in Hong Kong in 1953 but is regarded as an Irish designer having made his home there since graduating from Croydon School of Art In London.
"It reminded me a bit of Dublin ten years ago in terms of the energy level.
"People in Birmingham feel they have been overshadowed
by London or Glasgow or what is seen as more trendy cities. But they want to say 'we do something special'.
"And since I first came there the Bullring has opened, Malmaison has opened and I feel pleased to be part of the movement here."
In his fashion work John, who was named British Designer of the Year in 1993, is famous for his use of hand-crafting, beading and apliquee, elements of which he has tried to introduce in his Orion interiors.
"I like simplicity but also rich textures. I like traditional crafts but done in a modern way. So in the choice of materials, the walnut for the wardrobes and shelves, leather suites, white marble in the bathrooms, it is simple but also there is substance to it.
"I always say if I design a space that I wouldn't like to live in I couldn't expect other people to.
"The choice of materials I have used is very similar to those in my homes in Dublin and France."
But there must be differences between creating a fashion line which is essentially transient, changing from season to season, to a home which is built for longevity?
"It is true that fashion is about the instant. You have to react very quickly. This is about teamwork and discipline. It involves fire officers and planning officers there are things you would love to see sometimes which cannot be achieved so there is a certain restraint.
"But the beauty of what we achieve here is that it will be here after my lifetime.
"That's what I have discovered in the last ten years when I started doing product design, interiors and architecture. It is a different satisfaction.
His work for Waterford Crystal is credited with modernizing the image of cut-glass in Ireland.
Alongside his clothing labels and his diffusion lines for Debenhams, John also designed the interior of the Morrison Hotel in Dublin, the Premier Apartments in Liverpool and is currently working on a project in Budapest.
Although he now oversees a 250 million euro company employing 20 designers and architects, it was not his first choice of career. He originally trained as a psychiatric nurse, changing tack in the early 70s.
"I realised no matter how much I liked it I would prefer something a bit more creative which is why I went to study fashion. The interior design came about because the owner of the Morrison Hotel saw an article on my house in Dublin and what I had done for Waterford Crystal and thought maybe I could do something for the hotel."
Nicely furnished and impressive in it dimensions - the open plan kitchen/dining/lounge room has a library area big enough to accommodate a snooker table or home cinema – as the Orion Penthouse is, what gives it the wow factor is floor to ceiling windows offering dramatic views of the city in every room.
This even includes the bathroom where a weir bath is surrounded by glass on three side. At nearly 300 foot up there is little danger of being overlooked but if the window cleaner does happen to be abseiling past there are blinds for privacy.
"Originally the height wasn't here but we demanded to open it about another four foot," reveals John. "It is not difficult to find space like this in New York or Tokyo so I thought why not Birmingham?"
While it is an impressive experience to get a bird's perspective of the land below, in spite of the massive amount of redevelopment completed in Birmingham there are still massive lumps of concrete ugliness amid more aesthetically pleasing ancient and modern buildings.
As far as the view this room offers, it's not Florence.
"No," agrees John comfortably. "But it is what a city is about. There are part of Dublin that don't look great but there are other parts that look amazing.
"It is the mix that makes it interesting.
"If you go to Milan everybody wears the same clothes the same sunglasses, the fur coat in the winter and the chinos in the summer. I find it quite sterile.
"A city turns me on when it is quite cosmopolitan and there is a lot of things going on and I think that is what Birmingham is about."
