The Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collection

It is not immediately clear why Hennessy decided that fashion was the right blend to explore. In recent years, luxury brands have diversified away from their core products into niches that can be considered alien to their brand. Ferrari, once a luxury auto brand, now wants to be known as a lifestyle brand on its way to becoming famous, not just for its cars alone, but also for its fashion line and fine dining.

And then there is Aston Martin, whose foray into the world of real estate has seen it put up some incredible structures, from the Aston Martin Residences in Miami to the № 001 Minami Aoyama in Japan. Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, chose to focus on products that enhance the luxury fashion shopping experience, which is why its café and chocolate shop, as well as the planned LV hotel in Paris, exist.

For Hennessy, however, the path to haute couture – if indeed it is considering adding fashion to its portfolio – was not as straightforward. When Jones was developing the collection, he paid a visit to Hennessy’s library and museum in Cognac, France. There, he discovered some of the brand’s oldest bottles wrapped in twists of paper and studied the bottles housing the alcoholic beverage. The paper wrapping reminded him of the draping technique used in creating a clothing item, and the bottles, which appeared to be shaped “almost like a ball gown, in a sense,” inspired his designs for the collection.

First, he created the limited-edition masterpiece decanter shaped exactly like the tissue wrappings that had caught Jones’ attention at the museum. Made of titanium, it was dipped in gradient colours that mimic the shades of the Hennessy X.O blend.

Next was the bottle, which, although preserving its original shape, took on an additional ‘ready-to-wear’ golden aluminium ensemble that highlights its natural dips and curves, just like a well-fitted dress clings to every curve and bit of its wearer.

The final item is an unexpected pair of trainers whose cognac brown shade and design are also informed by the Hennessy X.O blend. Manufactured in an Italian shoe factory owned by LVMH, the parent company of both Hennessy and Dior, the HNY low trainers have a simple design with a grooved rubber sole imprinted with cognac vines on its base, and a nubuck leather upper. They come in a stylish oak box that recalls the barrels that housed the Hennessy drinks.

Is a Hennessy fashion collection on the way?

Maybe Hennessy will stick to its cognacs after this project. Or maybe it will decide it had so much fun with it that we will see future fashion capsule collections inspired by its beverages. Whatever part it decides to take, one thing is for certain: the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collection is every bit as stylish as it is revolutionary.

The post Hennessy flirts with Fashion in a New Collection with Kim Jones first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Hennessy flirts with Fashion in a New Collection with Kim Jones appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

“I wanted to personify the hand-made quality of Hennessy X.O with a hand-made bottle – one that feels good to hold, catches the light beautifully, and one that expresses the hand of the artisans who helped make the cognac,” says Gehry of the 24-carat gold-dipped bronze bottle he hopes is unlike “anything people have seen before”.

To recreate the distinctive pear-shaped decanter the X.O cognac is associated with, Gehry drew inspiration from the Charente River, which runs alongside the Hennessy distillery in the town of Cognac, western France. The water of this river is what gave birth to this bottle’s crinkled shape, which is meant to help its owner recall the light reflecting in the river and the craftsmanship that goes into creating the cognac and the drink’s history.

“The existing Hennessy bottle is iconic, so we wanted the new design to respect the history and the brand identity that came before us. A big part of the history of Hennessy is the involvement of the family and the craftspeople that have committed their lives to making this the best product on the market. You feel this when you drink Hennessy. With this design, I wanted people to also feel the human hand by the craftspeople who made the bottle. I wanted to be respectful of the history, but different,” explains Gehry.

Called the Masterpiece, the gold bottle will retail at ₤15,000 and will be available exclusively on Harrods from the 28^th of September, 2020. The smaller limited-edition bottles will also be available at Harrods for ₤178.

The post Hennessy Unveils X.O 150th Anniversary ‘All Gold’ Bottle. first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Hennessy Unveils X.O 150th Anniversary ‘All Gold’ Bottle. appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.