Fendi artistic director links up with Hennessy X.O on Cognac collaboration

Acclaimed fashion designer Kim Jones, formerly of Louis Vuitton and Dior, and the current artistic director for Fendi, has launched a special collection with Cognac brand Hennessy X.O featuring a collectible sneaker, decanter, and limited edition bottle.

The collection features the Hennessy X.O Masterpiece decanter and a ‘ready to wear’ Hennessy X.O Limited Edition bottle, both designed by Kim Jones. In a first for the Cognac brand, the collaboration also includes limited edition sneakers designed by the Fendi artistic director, called the HNY Low by Kim Jones.

The shoes have been crafted in an LVMH-owned shoe factory in Italy, and are inspired by early basketball shoes. Jones designed the footwear in a light Cognac-coloured nubuck leather, a material that takes on the patina of time, and a reference to the eaux-de-vie. A technical sole in tonal grooved rubber features an imprint of cognac vines and the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones logo on its underside. The initials KJ and the Hennessy bras armé emblem adorn the heel.

Laurent Boillot, Hennessy CEO, described Jones as a “creative master of our time” and said the brand was “thrilled to embark on a new odyssey blending Cognac-making and couture”.

He said: “Inspired by the emblematic personality of Hennessy X.O, Kim has developed a resolutely contemporary collection that is destined to make an impact on culture today and in the future.”

This also marks the first time Maison Hennessy has partnered with a fashion designer, and that Kim Jones has collaborated with a spirits brand.

The former Louis Vuitton menswear designer said he was fascinated by the “rich heritage of Hennessy, a household name behind which artisans have spent hundreds of years creating this special Cognac.”

The sculptural Hennessy X.O Masterpiece decanter has been produced in a limited edition with just 200 created using 3D printing technology and finished by hand. Jones called the casing “like a piece of bespoke couture for a bottle”.

The Hennessy X.O bottle is encased in an aluminum second skin, its structure showcasing the signature shape of the bottle while evoking a couture silhouette.

“Storytelling is very important for me regardless of what I’m designing or who I’m collaborating with – I want my designs to educate and inspire people through the stories they tell,” said the Fendi designer.

The full collection will be available to purchase in store at Flannels, Oxford Street in London alongside other select retailers from 17 March.