Alcohol brands tap the art world to woo younger drinkers
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Qui Tequila recently worked with American graffiti artist Brian Donnelly, better known by his nom d’art Kaws, on a series of three limited-edition labels in his bubble-shaped, anthropomorphised font to celebrate restaurant Nobu’s 30th anniversary.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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UNITED STATES – In October, Dom Perignon hosted a party at the Brant Foundation in New York City’s East Village, thousands of kilometres from its home in the Champagne region of France.
At the party – which celebrated the brand’s partnership with the estate of the late American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat – actresses Zoe Kravitz and Natasha Lyonne, model Evan Mock and Raul Lopez, the designer of the subversive Luar fashion label, sipped the champagne as they swayed to music from the Mudd Club habitue DJ Justin Strauss.
The Basquiat painting In Italian, a Neo-Expressionist work filled with gestural scribbles and stark images – faces, coins, dark creatures and cryptic words like “teeth” and “crown of thorns” – hung on a wall.
Throughout the room were bottles of a limited-edition release culled from a 2015 Dom Perignon vintage with labels that mirrored Basquiat motifs, including his signature crown in yellow, overlaid in a way to suggest a connection between the artist’s work and Dom Perignon’s shield-shaped tag.
“I think people are looking for more than just the experience of consuming,” said Mr Jacques Giraco, managing partner at Dom Perignon, speaking of his company’s decision to evoke the image of an artist synonymous with the gritty downtown scene of 1980s New York.
“It becomes a total experience. It conjures emotion, and that creates a stronger link with the brand.”
The flirtation of art and alcohol is not new – think American artist Andy Warhol and Absolut vodka in the 1980s – but it makes a lot of sense today, when many studies indicate that Gen Z is drinking less alcohol than previous generations.
Moreover, a jittery economic landscape makes expensive wines and spirits feel like unnecessary splurges to many consumers.
Partnerships like these give alcohol brands a fresh item to promote, but also, in the best circumstances, a way to impart a whiff of art world allure onto their tipples.
A Basquiat could easily set you back many millions – US$110.5 million (S$148 million), in one record-breaking 2017 auction – so a Basquiat-branded bottle of Dom, clocking in at US$305, could be viewed as a downright steal.
“Younger consumers are just not engaging with alcohol as much,” said Mr Marten Lodewijks, president of the United States division of IWSR, a data firm that tracks the alcohol beverage industry. “There’s a much bigger effort to come up with hooks to bring them in.”
So, let the buzzy collaborations bridging booze and art commence.
Qui Tequila recently worked with American graffiti artist Brian Donnelly, better known by his nom d’art Kaws, on a series of three limited-edition labels in his bubble-shaped, anthropomorphised font. The bottles cost US$1,000 each.
Swedish street artist Andre Saraiva contributed art to the packaging for a limited edition of Glenfiddich single-malt Scotch whisky, released in September and initially priced at US$2,100.
Other brand alliances are priced well into a startling five-figure range.
American artist Daniel Arsham, for example, created a cast resin “time capsule” in which a bottle of Moet & Chandon was housed (and, at just 85 editions, costs US$28,000 each). And Hennessy, the cognac brand, tapped French sculptor Jean-Michel Othoniel for two decanters, one in Baccarat crystal encased in a gem-encrusted wooden receptacle, which costs €35,000 (S$50,000).
“They don’t want to just be an alcohol brand,” Mr Guy Wolfe, head of insights for status spirits at IWSR, said, referring to high-end makers of wines and spirits. “They see themselves up there with fine art, with brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior.”
For some brands, an association with art can be a point of differentiation.
“The category is oversaturated with celebrity involvements,” Mr Medhat Ibrahim, a founder of Qui Tequila, said of tequila’s popularity. “We wanted something that creates more value to the consumer who’s purchasing this product.”
Qui Tequila’s connection to Kaws was forged through celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa, who had been working with Qui Tequila, positioning it as a spirit of choice for those who enjoy fine dining.
Matsuhisa is a fan and collector of Donnelly’s work, so the three-way partnership was formed to commemorate restaurant Nobu’s 30th anniversary.
“We’re delivering a piece of art, a beautifully designed bottle and an exceptional 25-year-old liquid,” Mr Ibrahim said.
Mr Giraco of Dom Perignon came from the world of fragrance, in which new scents are introduced at a brisk cadence.
A high-profile collaboration, like the one with the Basquiat estate, allows the brand to create a sense of urgency and excitement within a more slow-moving category like Champagne, which is limited by grape production.
“Even people who are real wine connoisseurs, they love the novelty of it,” he said. “You see it on Instagram, they will talk about it, they will collect it.”
And, if a Basquiat label likens Dom Perignon to art-making, so be it. “The process to make this is very complex,” Mr Giraco said. “So to have a connection with art, which is also complex, it is a good combination.” NYTIMES
