Smooth taste, funky label

Hennessy has once again celebrated it admiration for the world of street art with the recent launch of a new label designed by American contemporary artist Shepard Fairey.

The new Hennessy Very Special limited edition collection was introduced at a party held last week at Haus, a new cafe and bar on Soi Ekamai 24.

Guests arriving at the event, who included several of Thailand’s best known street artists, were gifted a black T-shirt and a choice of Fairey’s patterns to screen on it.

“We have collaborated with many famous artists since 2010,” commented Narat Watcharapetch, assistant brand manager for Hennessy Thailand, during the launch. “The limited edition collection made its debut in 2011 with the art of New York-based artist and designer KAWS, the second label came from the hands of American graffiti artist Futura, while the third was designed by the Brazilian duo Os Gemeos. All three collections have solidified our brand and this year we are presenting the marriage of Hennessy’s uniqueness and Shepard Fairey’s creativity.”

  The world-renowned graffiti artist from South Carolina, otherwise known as Obey, wasn’t in town for the launch but his art works in his favourite colours of gold, black, cream and red were, and gave guests an opportunity to admire his signature styling and Hennessy’s trademark aesthetics.

One hundred deluxe sets of two Hennessy bottles, priced at a healthy Bt5,000 apiece, were also available at the event, with buyers receiving a lucky draw ticket for two to travel to Japan and meet the artist.

The entertainment was provided by The Parkinson, one of nine new bands signed with the Spicy Disc label and cool grooves from DJ Plerny.

Fairey, who also designs street fashion, skateboard clothing and other street art products, grew up learning art and graphic design. Each of his graffiti works have manifested themselves on an ever-evolving list of media ranging from public murals to posters, T-shirts, stickers, screen prints, and installations on wood, metal and more. As a graphic designer, he has created logos and album covers for some of the world’s most notorious hip-hop and rock bands and created iconic visuals for prominent entities in sports, media, entertainment and politics,.

In designing the label for the new Hennessy Very Special collection, which will be officially released in Japan in August, he drew inspiration from the French cognac company’s dedication to quality, elegant legacy and incredibly smooth taste, which has been revered by cognac fans for almost 250 years.