Christian Louboutin to front creative vision for Cognac house
The fashion designer has acquired a stake in Ragnaud-Sabourin, and will now spearhead its creative strategy, with the maison’s managing partner hailing Louboutin’s “astonishing talent”. Experts are calling the partnership a smart marketing move.
Christian Louboutin will bring his signature flair to Cognac house Ragnaud-Sabourin by shaping packaging and crafting bespoke blends, after scooping a stake in the fourth-generation estate.
The fashion icon, famed for his signature red-soled stilettos, has become a shareholder in the family-owned Cognac house in Domaine de La Voûte.
Founded in 1850, the estate produces Cognac from 35 hectares of vineyard in Grande Champagne, widely regarded as the highest quality sub-region.
Speaking to the drinks business, Marine Deschamps, Ragnaud-Sabourin managing partner, said Louboutin had invested in the estate “actively and in a meaningful way”.
‘It was meant to be’
Talks between the French designer and Cognac estate went on for more than two years before the investment was finalised. “We really wanted to get to know each other before starting this partnership, so we felt that it was meant to be,” Deschamps explained.
And she hoped teaming up with the fashion maestro, whose “talent is just astonishing”, would accelerate the premium Cognac brand’s creative direction.
“Christian, he’s a designer before all,” she said, “so we’re going to work on limited editions, we’re going to work with him on our packaging, working on specific blends, starting sometimes from his artistic point of view.
“This means he’s going to imagine something, and we’re going to work the blends in the way he imagines things to be, sort of like perfumes.”
The move will allow the producer to focus on crafting exclusive limited editions. “In the Cognac brand you have the big drivers, but we are a very small brand, so it’s important for us to continue proposing value additions to our consumers,” she said.
In a statement released last week, Deschamps added that the partnership marked “the beginning of a new chapter” for the house, aiming to expand its international distribution and strengthen its presence in prestigious venues.
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Aligning with luxury
Speaking to db, Max von Olfers, co-founder and managing director of digital platform Cognac Expert, said partnerships could be a “really positive asset” for Cognac producers, especially small, family-run houses.
He said: “Cognac is already seen as a premium product, but aligning with a name synonymous with high-end craftsmanship in a way reinforces the house’s place in the world of luxury.
“It’s not just about status and luxury, but also about the shared values around beauty, excellence, authenticity, and genuine quality.
“Finally, partnerships like this offer new storytelling opportunities. When a designer, or other creative figure, invests in a Cognac house, it adds a new narrative angle.
“It links two creative disciplines and invites consumers to connect emotionally with the house and the individual, or better yet, both.”
What’s in a name?
Thom Khan-Lavin, co-founder of YesMore Agency, told db that by cross-promoting each other’s marketing efforts, both brands could boost their growth.
He said: “Consumers, and many drinks buyers even, often have shorthand reference points for brands, and celebrity brand partnerships help this incredibly well.
“For example Ragnaud-Sabourin doesn’t slip off the tongue nearly as well as ‘Christian Louboutin’s wine’, just as people often refer to ‘Kylie’s wine, Brad and Angelina’s wine, George Clooney’s Tequila or The Rock’s Tequila.’”
Deschamps said the 61-year-old’s investment reaffirmed his commitment to French artisanal tradition and “the preservation of exceptional craftsmanship”.
Entrepreneur Alexis Dyèvre, who is linked to Louboutin through luxury furniture brand Maison Gatti, also joined the house’s shareholding structure.
Christian Louboutin, co-founded his eponymous fashion brand in 1991, also has personal investment in heritage preservation projects such as the Gardens of Kerdalo in Brittany, which he has owned since 2021.
