Kim Jones Designs a Striking Couture-Inspired Decanter for Hennessy X.O

On one of his research trips to Cognac, a region in France that stretches out over two Charentes departments and several villages in the Dordogne and Deux-Sèvres, Jones spent time visiting Hennessy’s library and museum. There, he was particularly drawn to some of the very oldest bottles in the collection, which had been carefully wrapped in twists of white paper, reminding him of fabric on a body. ““Immediately I saw fabric, and I thought that is my link,” Kim Jones tells Galerie. ““The language is the same between cognac and couture—you treat the bottle like a body, and you wrap it like a piece of couture.” He continues: “But how do you turn that from a maquette into something three dimensional? I went through a lot of fittings, so to speak, because that’s how I saw it—as a body.”

Realized using 3D-printing and meticulously finished by hand, the Hennessy X.O Masterpiece is limited to just 200 pieces. The titanium casing twists beautifully around the bottle, much like the draping of an elegant gown enhancing the curves of a body. The vessel was then dipped in gradient colors that reflect shades of the different eaux-de-vie selected by the master blender to create the perfect Hennessy X.O.

Of course, Jones is no stranger to the art of collaboration. When he was menswear artistic director of Louis Vuitton, he teamed up with Supreme on one of the most most successful fashion collaborations in history. In his current position at Dior Mens, he has collaborated with such major artists as KAWS, Daniel Arsham, and Raymond Pettibon, among others. Last year, he worked alongside Donatella Versace to produce the special ‘Fendace’ collection, which saw a tie-up between Fendi and Versace at Milan Fashion Week.

Never one to simply stamp a logo on something, Jones has turned his collaboration with Hennessy into a true work of art, thoughtfully integrating the 250 years of history, culture, and unique elements of the brand while adding his own creative vision. The result is a piece of history with a striking contemporary twist, plus a dose of his signature streetwear-infused aesthetic.

The collaboration marks a first for Hennessy, too, with its debut into the fashion world. The Hennessy sneakers, dubbed HNY Low by Kim Jones, are a pair of basketball-inspired kicks rendered in a deep Cognac brown suede. The handsome shoe was produced at an LVMH-owned shoe factory in Italy. The initials “KJ” and Hennessy’s emblem are featured on the sole, and they come presented in an elegant oak box.

To celebrate the major collaboration, some 300 guests were hosted at an exclusive party on March 16 at the Battersea Arts Club in London, a sprawling building that was once the Battersea Town Hall, built in 1893 by Edward Mountford. The cavernous main space had been totally transformed by Hennessy, with a large stage featuring screens playing “The Fabric of Time,” a campaign video created by French creative trio Bleu Désert depicting Jones as he steps into the Hennessy X.O universe.

Throughout the night, guests were served Hennessy X.O neat or on ice by an innovative white robot at each end of the bar. There was also an assortment of Hennessy X.O cocktails, including the Chocolate Lull, Sweet Notes, Spicy Edge, and Wood Crunch. In mirrored-gold hexagonal cases, the sneakers and decanter got their moment in the spotlight, with guests crowding around to snap selfies with the products. Halfway through the evening, British rapper Little Simz took to the stage, performing an intimate 20-minute set to the star-studded crowd, which was made up of style tastemakers, artists, trendsetters, and celebrities including Daniel Kaluuya, Will Sharpe, Aron Piper, Paul Forman, Daryl McCormack, Olivia Parlermo and her husband Johannes Huebl, Jourdan Dunn, and Knucks.