French Cognac brand Hennessy has linked up with Dior and Fendi artistic director Kim Jones to produce a trio of collectible objects; a bottle, decanter, and sneakers. Sitting at the intersection of luxury and streetwear, the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collection celebrates the French cognac’s undeniable place in popular culture. Representing the first time Hennessy has collaborated with a fashion designer, the collaborative collection seeks to fuse cognac with couture, with the Hennessy X.O Masterpiece proving liquor can play dress up too.
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Crafted from titanium and produced using 3D printing technology, the sculptural Hennessy X.O Masterpiece was designed by Kim Jones and limited to 200 examples. According to Jones, it’s akin to “a piece of bespoke couture for a bottle,” with the sculptural folds echoing the way a couture gown is draped. The twists and turns of the fold also hark back to the turn of the 20th century, when Hennessy bottles were hand-enveloped in tissue paper to protect their fragile parchment paper labels. Meanwhile, its plateau-shaped base is composed of oak, a nod to the barrels used to age eaux-de-vie that would eventually be blended to create Hennessy X.O.
The Hennessy X.O Masterpiece entirely shrouds the bottle from view, with a fusil designed by Kim Jones acting as a playful ritual to serve a glass of the Hennessy X.O blend. Both objects are finished in gradient hues, which reflect the shades of the cognac within.
“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,” said British designer and creative director Kim Jones. “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.”
As with all couture collections, there’s also a more accessible ready-to-wear version. The Hennessy X.O Limited Edition ‘ready-to-wear’ version of the decanter sees the cognac wrapped in an aluminium second skin, showcasing the shape of the bottle while elevating it to designer status.
Letting you drink your cognac and wear it too, the HNY Low sneakers by Kim Jones round out the collection. Marking the first-ever pair of sneakers created for the French cognac brand, the HNY Low is informed by the silhouettes of early basketball shoes. Made in an LVMH-owned factory in Italy, the HNY Low sneakers are crafted from light cognac-coloured nubuck, a material that develops a patina over time; reflecting the way eaux-de-vie simply gets better with age. The streamlined, classic upper is underscored by a technical sole with tonal grooved rubber. The Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones logo features on its underside, while the initials KJ and the Hennessy bras armé emblem discreetly adorn the heel. True to form, each pair of sneakers comes sheathed in a cotton dustbag and presented in an oak box that revisits the barrels used to age eaux-de-vie.
“I wanted it to be elevated and chic, to reflect both the long heritage of cognac and my own design values,” explained Jones of the HNY Low. “I wanted it to feel like you’re almost looking into the bottle. It’s a glass of cognac in sneaker form.”
The HNY Low sneakers are priced at €650 (approx. $1050AUD) and will be available from the 18th of March via HBX.
Words by John Deckard
