In a world of endless collaborations, where everything is a perfect match for anything, premium spirit brand Hennessy X.O has partnered with world-renowned British Artistic Director Kim Jones to create a series of unique must-have luxury offerings. Using the extensive history of Hennessy X.O’s 150-year heritage as the inspiration and canvas for the multi-talented designer and visionary, the Kim Jones collaboration features a special Hennessy X.O bottle cover referred to as the Masterpiece, a special Hennessy X.O Limited Edition decanter, and somewhat unexpectedly a pair of sneakers in the form of the HNY Low. This collaboration opportunity puts Jones in rare and prestigious company, including Frank Gehry, Cai Guo-Qiang and Ridley Scott, who’ve all had their turn at bottle designs.
In a first for the brand, the collaboration offers a shoe, the HNY Low by Kim Jones. Designed by Jones and crafted in an LVMH-owned shoe factory in Italy, the limited edition show takes its inspiration from early basketball shoes. As all good sneakers do, let’s new honest. Made in a light cognac-coloured nubuck leather that shall take on a patina from time, a design feature referencing the eaux-de-vie, or water of life, a vital process in the aging of cognac. The shoe remains relatively non-descript, but the sole does feature an imprint of cognac vines and the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones logo on the underside. Each pair of HNY Low by Kim Jones comes with cotton dust bags inside an oak box, a nod to the barrels.
The Shoes will release later this month in partnership with HBX as the global exclusive online retail partner, at a suggested price of 650 euros. Clearly positioned as a luxury item.
The Hennessy X.O Masterpiece by Kim Jones draws its design inspiration from the actual making of Hennessy X.O.. The specially developed titanium casing wraps around the bottle with its twisting folds, intended to evoke the couture technique of draping.
As per Jones: “When I saw how the vintage Hennessy bottles were wrapped, it spoke volumes to me about how precious each one is, and how they were handled. I was particularly touched by their history, and the sense of how generations have dedicated their time to making each step of the process better and better. That same process also holds true with fashion.”
While the bottle is hidden from view, the cognac can be extracted using the fusil designed by Kim Jones, an important piece for the ritual of properly serving a glass of the Hennessy X.O blend. The decanter itself has been dipped in gradient colours, an effect inspired by the shades of the different eaux-de-vie selected by the Master Blender in making the Hennessy X.O.
The third and final element of 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 an aluminum second skin, showcasing the shape of the bottle while evoking a couture silhouette. The limited edition bottle is the final piece of the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones partnership.
