Hennessy has released its 2025 Chinese New Year limited-edition collection with bottles designed by Chinese fashion designer Shuting Qiu. With this upcoming year being the Year of the Snake, the collection titled “Reimagination” is inspired by the symbolism of snakes focusing on renewal and transformation.

Qui, the first female fashion designer to collaborate with Hennessy, paid homage to her cultural heritage by creating vibrant designs that adorn Hennessy’s iconic cognac carafes. Using red as the base color for the collection, her use of bold, abstract snake motifs alongside traditional Chinese brocade patterns and floral motifs beautifully reflects the fusion of tradition and modernity.

The collection consists of three different liquid variations each getting its own custom bottle. The V.S.O.P is described by Qui as “youthful and energetic” and the bottle reflects that with floral motifs featuring abstract snake scale silhouettes. As the very first achievement of Hennessy’s original Master Blender, Jean Fillioux, with its notes of sweet apricot and vanilla, the V.S.O.P comes in a lined bag adorned with a mix of floral and leaf motifs that complement the bottle. The X.O, described as “bold and dynamic”, is visually the standout bottle of the collection with its rich shades of gold, blue and red. In 1870, Maurice Hennessy created the X.O drink for his close circle, and thus created the emblematic icon of the spirits house. Tapping into the historic ethos of the X.O, which features notes of candied fruit and spicy, smokey oak, the bottle-embossed illustrations of grape vines and leaves feature elements of snake silhouettes incorporated on the label. The Paradis edition, which was created by Maurice Fillioux in 1979 as a tribute to musical symphony’s with notes of jasmine, cinnamon, and fruit, and has gone on to become one of Hennessy’s premier blends in their Rare Editions collection, is the sleekest of the bunch with a matte red base and clear glass top. A sculptural snake is embossed on the front, embodying elegance and luxury, representing the collection’s inspiration for renewal and transformation.

Below, V caught up with Shuting Qiu to discuss how the Hennessy collaboration came to be.

V Magazine: How did this collaboration come to be? What was your initial reaction/first thoughts when the opportunity presented itself?

Shuting Qiu: This collaboration came about because Hennessy approached me, and my initial reaction was one of surprise and delight, as I had never collaborated with a brand on a fashion and spirits partnership before. I thought that the combination of fashion and cognac would create a unique and unexpected “chemical reaction,” and I decided to go for it, to try, and to see what sparks would fly.

V: It’s been noted that your collaboration with Hennessy is the brand’s first-ever with a woman fashion designer. In what ways does the partnership with Hennessy hold significance for you?

SQ: First of all, I want to thank Hennessy for choosing me, as I am honored to be the first female fashion designer to collaborate with them. This collaboration holds special meaning for me, as I enjoy challenges that are full of unknowns and variety. The fashion and spirits collaboration is very interesting, and the theme of the collaboration is something I really like, “a Chinese female designer’s interpretation of the Chinese New Year.” Through the Hennessy platform, I can showcase my ideas to the world and let more people learn about Chinese culture. I can also introduce myself and my brand’s diversity to the world, and showcase the diversity of Chinese female designers.

V: With Lunar New Year (& Year of the Snake) as the foundation of the partnership, how did the holiday help inspire the collaboration? Reinterpreting Hennessy’s iconic V.S.O.P, X.O, and Paradis cognac carafes, did you find it a challenge to take the unique shapes of the bottle and make it your own?

SQ: First of all, the Lunar New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese, and it brings about new changes, challenges, and opportunities. On this day, people say goodbye to the past and embrace a fresh start. The Lunar New Year also symbolizes reunion, good fortune, prosperity, and happiness. This is part of my inspiration, and designing the cognac bottles was indeed a challenge at the beginning, as I had never designed anything related to wine before. But in the end, I succeeded. I drew inspiration from snakes and incorporated abstract and vivid snake motifs into the wine bottle designs, using bright colors and prints, such as ancient Chinese embroidery patterns, to depict the texture and scales of the snake’s body. I used them to decorate the classic V.S.O.P, X.O, and Paradis cognac bottles of Hennessy.

V: How did the blending worlds of fashion and luxury spirits inform your creative process for the collection? How did you take the essence of Hennessy and apply it to your designs?

SQ: Hennessy [brought] me to visit [their headquarters] at the beginning of the collaboration to find inspiration, and I got a hands-on understanding of their brand culture by visiting their vineyards, cellars, and the wooden barrels where they store their wine. So in my designs, I used red and gold, which are the representative colors of Hennessy, and integrated some fashion elements, such as leather and silk, and combined fabrics with wine bottles. I also designed a unique packaging bag for V.S.O.P. In order to reflect the combination of theme and brand, in terms of fabric, I chose red, which represents China, as the main color, and decorated with colorful floral patterns with the characteristics of the Shuting Qiu brand. [For the] package’s hardware, I chose gold, which represents Hennessy, which is very interesting and I like it.

The Hennessy x Shuting Qiu collaboration is now available at hennessy.com with the V.S.O.P. retailing at $64.99, X.O at $210, Paradis at $1,550.