British Artistic Director Kim Jones – who is in command of both Dior Men and Fendi Womenswear and Couture – joined forces with the French Cognac producer, Hennessy, for a never-before-seen partnership. The goal is to reconsider the boundaries of couture and reevaluate the role it plays in our culture. To start the collaboration, Jones and Hennessy found common ground in the long history of artisan craftsmanship that both fashion and cognac-making share, and in the celebration of savoir-faire (the talent for elegance and grace).

Persuaded by the 150-year heritage of the Maison, Jones proved once again his interest in taking on new challenges, exploring the synthesis of distant realms, and reaching wider audiences. “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,” he said. The household name Hennessy, which is supported by “artisans [who] have spent hundreds of years creating this special cognac” as Jones explained, has become with time a synonym of diligence and constancy, as well as a proof of the benefit of teamwork.

Part of the collection is a light cognac-colored collectible sneaker. Made of nubuck leather, the limited edition HNY Low designed by Jones and crafted in an LVMH-owned shoe factory in Italy is inspired by early basketball footwear. It features an imprint of cognac vines together with the logo of the partnership, plus the initial KJ and the Hennessy emblem. The design aims at capturing the aesthetic of a bottle. “I wanted it to feel like you’re almost booking into the bottle. It’s a glass of cognac in sneaker form” Jones said. The designer embraced the prompt fully: the sneakers, in fact, come in an oak box that recalls the barrels used to age cognac.

Finally, Jones also crafted a Masterpiece decanter and a Limited Edition bottle. The Masterpiece, which was created in titanium with 3D printing technology and finished by hand, recalls the couture technique of draping as it wraps the bottle in a second-skin gold layer. “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,” Jones revealed about his creative process. To give the final twist to it, he also designed a fusil that can be used to extract the cognac while the bottle is obscured from view. Definitely, an addition that not only transforms the spirits aesthetic but also grants the Hennessy customers a unique and playful experience.