The Lunar New Year is around the corner, so to prepare for the Year of the Snake, Shanghai-based Chinese fashion designer Shuting Qiu collaborated with Hennessy on a limited-edition collection.
Called "Reimagination," the collection is, of course, inspired by the snake, which is about renewal and positive transformation, leaving behind the past and embracing new beginnings. Qiu created abstract interpretations of a snake using colors and prints, like traditional Chinese brocade patterns, to reflect the texture and scales of the snake body.
Qiu draws inspiration from her heritage, often using jacquard, Chinese brocade and embroidery in her collections, which she shows at Paris Fashion Week. For the collaboration, she took those materials traditionally used in clothing and textiles to make floral motifs and abstract snake scale patterns to decorate Hennessy's VSOP, X.O and Paradis cognac bottles. Each bottle tells a different story as a nod to Hennessy’s heritage.
Hennessy Paradis is a balanced cognac with a warm amber-gold color from years of aging in old barrels with floral notes of jasmine, hints of cinnamon and exotic fruit, all with a smooth, silky texture. Hennessy X.O is known for its depth, with layers of candied fruit, spices and dark chocolate. And Hennessy VSOP has aromas of sweet apricot and a taste of vanilla and oak.
PAPER talked to Qiu about translating her brand DNA into bottles and how her Chinese upbringing informs her design, below.
What was the inspiration behind your bottle design?
It was inspired by traditional Chinese brocade. I also had a trip to Cognac, so I also got a lot of inspiration from the archive of historical bottles from Hennessy and how they make the cognac. I combined different patterns, paintings and graphic design to put in different categories: VSOP, X.O, Paradis. VSOP is more like a young energy vibe, so there’s a lot of things going on. Also the textile, for me, is more related to fashion. It's more sequins, more materials. The X. is more inspired, is more like red and gold shades combined with a bit of blue. It's a bit more elegant and mature. The Paradis is more peaceful, more poetic, more artistic. There’s more red and has a sculptural snake. And on the bottle, we made like a collar made of leather, which is also related to fashion materials.
What was the creative process like for this?
At the beginning, we took a trip to cognac to learn about the heritage of the brand. I was really inspired by how they make the cognac and the heritage when I saw so many different shapes of the bottles from the past. Then I started thinking about what I want to bring to the Year of the Snake for Chinese New Year and how we celebrate nowadays and what I wanted to bring to this message to the new year. I did sketches and some collages, cutting and gluing to find different patterns and combinations.
Is there a narrative that you're trying to communicate through your bottle designs?
Because the inspiration is mainly from Chinese traditional brocade patterns, it’s important for me as a young Chinese designer because we’ve lost these kinds of cultural traditions. It's about how a young female Chinese fashion designer understands the Chinese New Year. It's a snake year, which compared to other years is more feminine. It's about imagination and renewal, since the snake changes skin. It's about leaving the past and looking forward to the next.
How do you think the designs tie into your own collections and the ethos of your own brand?
I'm from Hangzhou, which is famous for silk, jacquard and embroidery. So my collections are always inspired by my own roots. Every season, we use quite a lot like silk and jacquard and collaborate, like artisans doing embroidery. I also brought this to the collaboration. That's why the inspiration comes from the brocade pattern from China.
How does your background and identity influence your own brand?
I did my fashion education in Antwerp, which really inspired me to really find myself. I was a big fan of the Antwerp Six. That's why I studied there and why my inspirations always take from my own experience. In Hangzhou, I started painting when I was nine years old and went to the mountains and rivers, inspired by the colors of nature. My paintings were always made of different materials, like collage, oil, pencils, those different materials. You can see now that my collections are always very bright, with colorful patterns and a combination of different materials and textiles.
Photos courtesy of Hennessy
