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In a first for the House, the acclaimed fashion designer transcends couture and cognac in a special collection that includes a collectible sneaker, Masterpiece decanter and limited-edition bottle.
COGNAC, France, March 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Hennessy is pleased to announce a collaboration with world-renowned British Art Director Kim Jones. In a bold meeting of two icons, the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collection bridges the gap between street and luxury in a unique celebration of the legendary blend’s impact on culture.
Weaving the richness of Hennessy X.O’s 150-year heritage with the creative vision of Kim Jones, the collaboration includes the Kim Jones-designed Hennessy X.O Masterpiece, the Kim Jones Hennessy X.O Limited Edition bottle and, in a first for the brand, the HNY Low by Kim Jones. It is also the first time that Maison Hennessy has partnered with a fashion designer and that Kim Jones has collaborated with a spirits brand.
“We are delighted to embark on a new odyssey combining cognac making and haute couture with Kim Jones, a creative master of our time,” said Laurent Boillot, CEO of Hennessy. “Inspired by the iconic character of Hennessy X.O, Kim has developed a resolutely contemporary collection that is destined to impact culture today and tomorrow.”
For Hennessy X.O, Kim Jones pays homage to cognac-making and haute couture, two processes that are about understanding science and the natural world, as well as craftsmanship and savoir-faire. Follow in the footsteps of a formidable lineage of great masters who have helped cement Hennessy X.O’s cultural resonance over the years, including Frank Gehry, Cai Guo-Qiang and Ridley Scott.
“I am fascinated by the rich heritage of Hennessy, a household name behind which artisans have spent hundreds of years creating this very special cognac,” said Kim Jones. “Storytelling is very important to me, no matter what I’m designing or who I’m collaborating with – I want my designs to educate and inspire people through the stories they tell.”
HNY LOW BY KIM JONES: A UNIQUE LIMITED EDITION FASHION ITEM
Designed by Kim Jones and crafted in an LVMH-owned shoe factory in Italy, the Kim Jones Limited Edition HNY Low takes inspiration from early basketball shoes. It is made of light cognac nubuck leather, a material that takes on the patina of time, a reference to precious eaux-de-vie.
Set against the classic upper, a tonal ridged rubber technical sole features a print of cognac vines and the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones logo on its underside, while KJ initials and the Hennessy bras armé emblem discreetly adorn the heel. .
“I wanted it to be elevated and chic, reflecting both the cognac’s long heritage and my own design values,” says the designer, who also transposed the curves of the Hennessy X.O bottle onto the shoe. “I wanted it to look like you’re looking into the bottle. It’s a brandy glass in the shape of a slipper.”
True to the sneakerhead aesthetic, Kim Jones has made packaging part of the overall experience. Each pair of Kim Jones HNY Low comes wrapped in high-quality cotton drawstring bags, a shape reminiscent of bottles that used to be wrapped in thick paper during travel. The sneakers are housed in an oak box that evokes the barrels used to age the spirits, with a wavy top that recalls the plateau of the Hennessy X.O Masterpiece designed by Kim Jones.
With a suggested retail price of €650, the HNY Low by Kim Jones will go on sale in March 2023 in collaboration with HBX as an exclusive global retail partner online, and in select retail spaces.
WHERE COGNAC MEETS HAUTE COUTURE: THE MASTERPIECE HENNESSY X.O AND THE LIMITED EDITION HENNESSY X.O DESIGNED BY KIM JONES
Designed exclusively for Hennessy by Kim Jones, produced using 3D printing technology and finished by hand, the statuesque Hennessy X.O Masterpiece has only been produced in 200 examples. The decanter demonstrates how humanity and technology can work together to create something unique, “like a bespoke couture piece for a bottle,” says the designer.
The Hennessy X.O Masterpiece is inspired by the making of Hennessy X.O, an art perfected by eight generations of Master Blenders. A specially developed titanium shell completely encapsulates the bottle like an architectural second skin. Its twisted folds evoke both the couture technique of draping and the way in which, in the early 20th century, Hennessy bottles were carefully wrapped by hand in tissue paper to protect their fragile parchment labels. Its base, an undulating plateau of oak, evokes the barrels used to age the spirits that would be blended to create Hennessy X.O.
While the bottle is completely hidden from view, the cognac can be extracted using the Kim Jones-designed rifle, an elegant and playful ritual to pour a glass of Hennessy X.O blend. As a final touch, the decanter itself has been bathed in gradient colours, an effect inspired by the shades of the different eaux-de-vie selected by the Master Blender to compose Hennessy X.O.
Said Kim Jones: “When I saw how the vintage Hennessy bottles were wrapped, I realized how valuable they were and how they had been treated. I was especially moved by their history and the sense that generations have dedicated their time to improving each step of the process. That same process applies to fashion as well.”
The third item in the collaboration is the Hennessy X.O Limited Edition ready-to-wear version of the decanter specially imagined by Kim Jones. The Hennessy X.O bottle is encased in a second aluminum skin, the structure of which showcases the bottle’s signature shape while evoking a haute couture silhouette. A true embodiment of the fusion of fashion and culture with excellence and heritage, the limited-edition bottle is the final piece of the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collaboration.
THE FABRIC OF TIME”: A UNIQUE VIDEO PRESENTED BY BLEU DESERT
In time for the collection launch, Hennessy X.O unveils The Fabric of Time, a campaign video featuring a cameo by Kim Jones that delves into the Hennessy X.O universe. Created by the French creative trio Bleu Désert, the video situates the collection at the convergence of human and mechanical movement.
Through the artistic mind of Kim Jones, the piece introduces a strange futuristic setting, halfway between a distillery and a couture atelier. An elusive robot leads the viewer through space, slowly discovering the inspiration behind the poetic details of The Fabric of Time as it passes an imposing system of mechanical stills. As the robot enters the main room, the Hennessy X.O Masterpiece designed by Kim Jones is revealed under the hidden gaze of the designer.
The Fabric of Time and items from the collection will be on display at select outlets around the world, each evoking the futuristic elements of collaboration and video through interactive content and experiences.
ABOUT KIM JONES Born in London, Kim Jones moved with his family to Ecuador at the age of three months. He followed an itinerant childhood, which included stays throughout Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana) and the Caribbean, with frequent stops back home in London.
At fourteen, Jones already knew she wanted a creative career and thought about graphic design and photography before discovering that fashion was “something you could build a world around”.
Jones attended the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, where he earned a master’s degree in menswear. Her prom show was widely covered by the press, which convinced him to launch his eponymous label, with the first collection appearing at London Fashion Week in 2003. He later worked as a designer for the British clothing brand Umbro sport. It was the first time that a young, cutting-edge designer had taken over a mass menswear label in the UK, and the collaboration was very well received. Jones went on to design for the UK’s Topman, Mulberry, Alexander McQueen and Alfred Dunhill, among others, where he injected his own vibrant mix of haute couture and street style into classic English menswear.
Jones joined Louis Vuitton in 2011 as Men’s Artistic Director and presented his latest collection in January 2018. In March 2018, Jones was appointed Dior’s Artistic Director for the men’s ready-to-wear and accessories collections. His first collection was presented in June 2018, during the Paris Men’s Fashion Week. In September 2020, Kim Jones was appointed FENDI’s Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear and his debut collection, Couture Spring/Summer 2021, was presented in Paris in January 2021.
ABOUT HENNESSYA leader in cognac, the House of Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional know-how for more than 250 years. Based on the spirit of conquest of its founder, Richard Hennessy, the brand is present in more than 160 countries. Located in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a strong pillar of the regional economy. The Maison’s success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born from a unique process of passing on know-how from generation to generation. The first spirits Maison to obtain ISO 14001 certification, Hennessy combines its capacity for innovation and the support of all its partners to protect this exceptional space. As the jewel in the LVMH Group’s crown, Hennessy is one of the main contributors to French international trade, with 99% of production sold for export, and a global ambassador of French art de vivre.
Media Contact Mikey O’Brien mikey.obrien@northsix.com
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