Inside Kim Jones' creative mind
Inspired by Hennessy and the 150 year history of Hennessy X.O, the world-renowned Artistic Director went beyond the conventional when blending high fashion, science and cognac. Discover the new creations that followed.

So, you went to the Founder's Cellar?
Yes, and I'm fascinated by how refined it is, the processes. It's almost like it's scientific, but it's got the human touch. So, I thought, well, a shoe to go with it is kind of a nice thing because people, you know, they want to buy the brand, but they don't necessarily want to buy the alcohol. So I thought it was nice to have something else there because Hennessy is a brand that people sing about and talk about and do. It's culturally important, and that's kind of the thing that interests me with all the things I do.
According to you, are there some similarities between the cognac-making process and the fashion process?
There's a slowness. Sure, you take a longer time developing cognac, but then there are lots of things in fashion that take time too. So the similarity, I would say, is the slowness. The love for the craft.
You mentioned in the last interview your interest in Hennessy's savoir-faire; tell us how that influenced your creative vision for the collaboration.
I wanted to look at the idea of Hennessy's heritage and past. So we went to the archive, and I liked the idea that it was done by hand. It was about craftsmanship, which then led me back to the couture aspects. Looking at doing a sneaker for Hennessy, we then went to the factory, and there was a very modern way of making the shoes. It's very robotic. So we love the idea of taking that craft but turning it into a robotic sort of way of working where you get the 3D moulding and then the hand finish at the same time.

You described the sneaker as "a glass of Cognac in a shoe". What inspired this particular degradé on the Masterpiece design?
When you go to Cognac, and you see at Hennessy, they have these big copper drums, and they almost let it like that, dégradé. So I wanted to really bring that to life in the masterpiece, particularly because I felt like something you always imagine. It's like drums are somewhat full with cognac in there, so I wanted to really see the dégradé, beautiful when there are done nicely.
What about your choice of fabric, any specific emotion you wanted to express through these?
I wanted something that was in the cognac colour, thinking how it could be an authentic product because obviously cognac and sneakers aren't a usual thing. So I wanted it to be very classic, I wanted it to be a shoe that a lot of different people could wear, it's unisex, man, woman, it just fits with lots of different styles.
What kind of mood did you want to create with the sneaker?
I wanted any kind of person that wants to buy cognac to understand what the product is and to want to wear it, and you can wear it in lots of different ways. So, it's really symbolic of what cognac is as a sneaker, and then it fits lots of different people, and that's why I wanted to be... I always think big, I always have done. So, it's like, it has to apply to someone that's 18 or 80.
What was the main inspiration behind the sneaker box?
There's a bit of the historical side and a bit of the modernity. And, I like the mix of that because you were telling the history of Hennessy, and then you're showing the future of Hennessy.

And what about the Masterpiece? Take us back to the moment, visiting the Hennessy seat in Cognac, when the idea struck.
Well, the thing for me that hit me on the visit was when I saw the bottles, and they were wrapped in paper, and it was just really so beautiful, the way that it wasn't done purposefully. These were like old things being found, and the paper was slightly twisted. So, I like the idea of that becoming almost fan-like, and the folding was really architectural and beautiful, so I wanted to do something with that.
And this idea of connecting the fashion universe and Hennessy, did it remind you of draping?
It's kind of like couture, I guess, the way that we pinned it together as a piece of... like around the bottle, so you work on it like it's a body. It's really like a couture, bespoken piece but for a bottle. I really like bottle shapes, so it's kind of something fun to work with. Because I don't do things if I don't like what it is. I appreciate the history, the research and the generations that built it to make this thing better and better and better. And, that's the same with fashion.
With this idea that it's a bit like a fabric that wraps around it, was it important that the original bottle shape still shows through?
Yes, because it's so recognizable. It's an iconic thing; that's what I love about it. So, I used to work in a bar years ago, and I'd know where Hennessy was straight away by the bottle shape, so for me, it's something that's got a bit of a sort of backstory.
And what ties the designs together for you?
Well, it's like there are elements from the bottle, the shapes of parts of the curves in the pattern-making of it. And then, you have the little bottle with the KJ on the back, which just like a really nice signature, and I just wanted it to be really simple and clean. Because when you look at cognac, in the end, you're absorbed in the colour of it rather than anything else around it.

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The collaboration features a limited edition ‘ready-to-wear’ version of the masterpiece carafe specially imagined by Kim Jones. The Hennessy X.O Limited Edition, encased in an aluminium second skin, stays true to the iconic shape of Hennessy X.O while evoking a couture silhouette.
In 1870, Maurice Hennessy, a 4th-generation member of the Hennessy family, created a special cognac for his family and friends. This new style of long-aged, “Extra Old” cognac has become the original and emblematic icon of the Maison – a complex blend to transcend time.
Deep and powerful, with a balanced structure, Hennessy X.O promises an intriguing sensation on the palate. With each drop, an invitation to embark on a journey of the senses through the seven tasting notes. -
The sculptural Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones Masterpiece is produced using 3D printing technology and finished by hand. Detailed with a cognac-hued ombre, an effect inspired by the shades of eaux-de-vie, the cognac itself is extracted using the pipette designed by Kim Jones.
In 1870, Maurice Hennessy, a 4th-generation member of the Hennessy family, created a special cognac for his family and friends. This new style of long-aged, “Extra Old” cognac has become the original and emblematic icon of the Maison – a complex blend to transcend time.
Deep and powerful, with a balanced structure, Hennessy X.O promises an intriguing sensation on the palate. With each drop, an invitation to embark on a journey of the senses through the seven tasting notes.UPON REQUEST
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