PARIS — Moët & Chandon has joined forces with Pharrell Williams on a group of limited-edition bottles and a world promoting marketing campaign that goals to place the “Blissful” into birthdays.
The movie and pictures have been unveiled on Saturday, kicking off a worldwide rollout that may embrace an outside marketing campaign, a takeover of the facade of Harrods division retailer in London, and pop-ups in cities starting from Mexico Metropolis to Tokyo.
“We’re tremendous excited. It’s one of many greatest campaigns that Moët has finished in a very long time as a result of it’s so international,” Sybille Scherer, chief govt officer of Moët & Chandon, stated in an interview.
“He’s really international. We’re really international as effectively, so we really feel it’s such an ideal match, and it’ll deliver, hopefully, happiness and pleasure to the world,” she added.
As inventive director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, Williams is an natural associate for Moët & Chandon, which belongs to the wines and spirits division of luxurious conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Within the months after taking on his place at Vuitton in 2023, he took a tour of the Champagne home’s historic wine cellars and stayed at Château de Saran, its stately nation house surrounded by forests and vineyards.
The Moët & Chandon Pharrell Williams limited-edition assortment.
Anthony Seklaoui/Courtesy of Moët & Chandon
Whereas different rappers extol the virtues of Cristal, Ace of Spades or Dom Pérignon, Williams stated he prefers to toast particular events with a glass of Moët & Chandon bubbly.
“Moët & Chandon has a wealthy historical past and heritage, but it continues to evolve and stay related in right now’s tradition. It’s not simply in regards to the Champagne itself, however the values of pleasure, togetherness and celebration that it embodies,” he informed WWD in an emailed change.
“Moët & Chandon is about creating particular moments and bringing individuals collectively, which is one thing that resonates deeply with me,” Williams added. “After I was sufficiently old to drink, Moët & Chandon was my selection for celebrating.”
The marketing campaign exhibits him becoming a member of a various group of associates as they arrive collectively for a party in Paris. One brings flowers, one other cake and Williams exhibits up with a magnum that includes an oversize bow in midnight blue, one among his signature colours.
Take a Bow
“Moët has at all times stood for celebrations, the large and the small ones,” stated Scherer. “And he had this concept of celebrating probably the most common of all celebrations, your birthday.”
She famous that 22 million individuals mark their birthday day by day around the globe.
The collaboration gives a spread of merchandise that are perfect for gifting. They vary from limited-edition bottles priced at 45 euros to the Jewel Masterpiece, a jeroboam of Brut Impérial out there in a numbered restricted version of 30, costing 30,000 euros apiece.
The Jewel Masterpiece from the Moët & Chandon Pharrell Williams limited-edition assortment.
Anthony Seklaoui/Courtesy of Moët & Chandon
The bottle, lined in a mirrored chrome coating, is adorned with hand lettering with embossed aid pearls in paint, courtesy of artist Astrid de Chaillé, who additionally painted the midnight blue wood case with a particular “Pharrell” signature.
Adorning the neck is an oversize bow embroidered with greater than 7,000 pearled beads, requiring 300 hours of handwork.
It was made by specialised workshop Atelier Baqué Molinié, which additionally created the bows for a capsule assortment of magnums in numerous colours: black for the Grand Classic Assortment 2003; midnight blue for the Brut Impérial, and white for the Nectar Impérial Rosé.
These retail for 650 euros apiece, and the bows — impressed by an archival bottle design from the nineteenth century — might be indifferent and worn as brooches, marking solely the second time that Moët & Chandon has created a trend accent.
Clients can store the gathering in pop-up retailers at division retailer La Rinascente in Milan; Dubai Worldwide Airport; idea retailer Jet in Mexico Metropolis; the Galería Canalejas shopping center in Madrid, and O-Yane Plaza, a multipurpose leisure house in Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills district.
Harrods, which is house to a everlasting Moët & Chandon bar, will host a separate pop-up from March 10 to 30, with a takeover of its facade on Brompton Street from March 17 to 30.
The short-term areas, finished up like blue reward bins, will supply particular birthday rituals and alternatives for personalization.
Pharrell Williams with a restricted version magnum of Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé Champagne.
Anthony Seklaoui/Courtesy of Moët & Chandon
Outside advertisements will run from Saturday, with a give attention to the U.S., France, the U.Ok., Spain, Germany, Mexico and Australia. The class chief, Moët & Chandon is current in 150 markets, with one bottle popped each second, based on the model.
A Difficult 12 months
The marketing campaign movie is by Convoy, the inventive and model company based by Juan Costa Paz and Nordine Benotmane, whereas Anthony Seklaoui shot the images.
“The objective is to encourage individuals to cherish the particular moments of their lives and to return along with family members to have a good time. It’s about spreading pleasure and creating recollections that may final a lifetime,” stated Williams, who’s wearing a Vuitton swimsuit and pearl brooch within the clip.
“Sporting a glance from Louis Vuitton within the marketing campaign was a pure selection, because the design of those particular limited-edition bottles dovetails completely with among the propositions I’ve developed as menswear inventive director of the model,” he stated.
The Moët Hennessy division is beneath new administration, following the latest arrival of LVMH veteran Jean-Jacques Guiony as president and CEO, with Alexandre Arnault becoming a member of him as deputy CEO.
It’s relying on the collaboration to raise its gross sales of Champagne, which have been down 8 % on an natural foundation final yr amid a world droop in luxurious spending, based on sources accustomed to the LVMH information.
Scherer declined to provide figures, however stated Moët & Chandon’s efficiency was broadly in keeping with the section, which additionally consists of manufacturers like Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon. “We’re not higher, and we’re not worse. Having stated that, we gained market share in lots of markets,” she stated.
Compounding a fancy scenario, unfavorable climate slashed France’s 2024 wine harvest. “Final yr, for certain, was a troublesome one. I imply, we by no means had a lot rain,” stated the manager, although she famous that chardonnay fared higher than crimson grapes.
“We stay very optimistic for the longer term so long as we do our work, which we do by way of crafting probably the most distinctive Champagne and experiences — how will we deliver innovation to our class?” she added.
The model is doubling down on its trend credentials, following its summer season pop-up final yr with designer Charles de Vilmorin. It has beforehand created limited-edition bottles with the likes of Yoon Ahn, Virgil Abloh and Public College.
“A partnership just like the one with Pharrell offers us the relevance to draw the following technology of Champagne drinkers,” Scherer stated.
