THE HENNESSY X.OX KIM JONES: A Bold fusion of Two Icons

Recently, Hennessy announced that they would be collaborating with British fashion designer and couturier Kim Jones. The Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collection is a bold fusion of two icons, bridging street and luxury to pay tribute to the renowned blend’s cultural significance.

The Hennessy X.O Masterpiece designed by Kim Jones, the Hennessy X.O Limited Edition bottle designed by Kim Jones, and the first-ever HNY Low designed by Kim Jones all weave together the brand’s 150 years of history with Jones’ creative vision. Both Maison Hennessy and Kim Jones are making history with these collaborations, as neither has ever worked with a fashion designer before.

“We are thrilled to embark on a new odyssey blending cognac-making and couture with Kim Jones, a creative master of our time,” said Laurent Boillot, Hennessy CEO. “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.”

Kim Jones - Wearing the HNY Low by Kim Jones

Kim Jones’s designs for Hennessy X.O. pay homage to the scientific and natural world knowledge, as well as the artisanal craftsmanship and savoir-faire, that go into manufacturing cognac and couture. With Frank Gehry, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Ridley Scott, he is part of a formidable succession of great masters who have contributed to the enduring cultural resonance of Hennessy X.O.

“I’m fascinated by the rich heritage of Hennessy, a household name behind which artisans have spent hundreds of years creating this special cognac,” says Kim Jones. “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.”

The HNY Low by Kim Jones is a limited edition shoe that was designed by Jones and made in an Italian shoe factory owned by LVMH. It is made of a light cognac-coloured nubuck leather, a material that takes on the patina of time, a reference to the valuable eaux-de-vie. A technological sole in tone-on-tone grooved rubber contrasts the traditional upper with an imprint of cognac vines and the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones insignia. The initials KJ and the Hennessy bras armé badge are subtly embroidered on the heel.

“I wanted it to be elevated and chic, to reflect both the long heritage of cognac and my own design values,” says the designer, who also transposed the curves of the Hennessy X.O bottle onto the sneaker. “I wanted it to feel like you’re almost looking into the bottle. It’s a glass of cognac in sneaker form.”

Hennessy X.O Limited Edition by Kim Jones

Kim Jones, in keeping with the sneakerhead aesthetic, included the box the shoes came in as part of the purchase. Each pair of Kim Jones’ HNY Low trainers is packaged in a cotton dust bag with a high-end drawstring, whose shape is reminiscent of the thick paper that was once used to transport bottles. The trainers are packaged in an oak box that pays homage to the barrels used to age the eaux-de-vie; the box’s undulating lid is reminiscent of Kim Jones’s design for the plateau atop the Hennessy X.O Masterpiece.

The sculptural Hennessy X.O Masterpiece, designed by Kim Jones and created utilising 3D printing technology before being polished by hand, is limited to just 200 bottles. The designer describes the decanter as “like a piece of personalised couture for a bottle,” showcasing the uniqueness that can be achieved when combining human ingenuity with modern technology.

The Hennessy X.O Masterpiece is based on the skill of blending Hennessy X.O, which has been passed down through eight generations of Master Blenders. The bottle is protected from the elements by an architectural second skin made of titanium. Its twirling folds are reminiscent of both couture draping and the hand-enveloping of Hennessy bottles at the turn of the 20th century, done to safeguard the bottles’ delicate parchment paper labels. It alludes to the ageing eaux-de-vie in oak barrels that went into making Hennessy X.O. by way of its undulating oak plateau foundation.

The bottle of Hennessy X.O blend cognac is hidden from sight, but the cognac can be removed with the use of a fusil invented by Kim Jones. The Master Blender of Hennessy X.O. carefully selected various colours of eaux-de-vie, and those colours inspired the final touch of dipping the decanter itself in a gradient of colours.

Says Kim 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.”

The final component of the partnership is the “ready-to-wear” Hennessy X.O Limited Edition decanter that Kim Jones conceptualised in conjunction with the brand. The Hennessy X.O bottle is enclosed in an aluminium second skin, its structure revealing the iconic shape of the bottle while recalling a couture silhouette. A true depiction of the union of fashion and culture with quality and legacy, the limited edition bottle is the concluding element of the Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones relationship.