MCM unveils World Cup extravaganza

Pop star Lily Allen was among the guests celebrating MCM’s new special-edition Munchen Cute Monsters accessories collection for the FIFA World Cup at a party in London hosted by brand owner Sung-Joo Kim. Guests sampling Brazilian cocktails danced the night away as Lily took to the decks as the DJ, sporting an MCM monogram backpack.

Pop star Lily Allen spinning the tunes at MCM's World Cup party in London

The Munchen Cute Monsters collection pays homage to the World Cup 2014 slogan "All In One Rhythm" and is inspired by Brazil's festive carnival spirit, with added football motifs. Each item from the Monsters capsule collection features cute cartoon-style monsters and blocks of primary colours. The solid wavy lines of the illustrations aim to instil a sense of movement, while the bright, cheery smiles sported by the monsters seek to bring a ray of Brazilian brilliance and sunshine to the collection.

Take a look at the Munchen Cute Monsters collection below:

Brands mark Jackie Chan's 60th birthday

A magnificent set of bespoke MCM “Dragon” luggage was among the many items auctioned at international movie star Jackie Chan’s 60th birthday charity auction dinner. 

The auction, held in Beijing on April 7, raised the sum of CNY 70,552,000. All the proceeds were donated to the China Film Foundation to be used in public events and programmes jointly held by the China Film Foundation and the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing, which will benefit the development of China’s film industry.

MCM's Jackie Chan luggage set

MCM's auction lot consisted of three hard luggage travel suitcases and a round hat box made by senior craftsmen, incorporating a sophisticated red interior design. The classical curves, combined with the black calfskin edging, serve to highlight the outline of the solid case. Crafted from Cognac Visetos, MCM’s signature material, these suitcases were inspired by Jackie Chan’s adventurous spirit in his film career.

“龍,” the Chinese character for “dragon,” is carved inside each suitcase. Aiming to showcase the expertise, quality and innovation of MCM’s craftsmen, every product was designed as a work of art. The Jackie Chan nameplates were exclusively customised for the brand, and sought to offer an extraordinary travel experience. 

Bacardi celebrates airport Whisky Festival

Bacardi is taking part in World Duty Free Group’s Whisky Festival 2014 with several innovative and theatrical promotions at the travel retailer’s airport shop locations, including London Heathrow. 

These include the first activation in the global re-launch of Aberfeldy Highland single malt Scotch whisky, which centres on the brand’s heritage. Aberfeldy-branded bottled water taken from the distillery’s ancient water source, the Pitilie Burn, is offered as a gift with purchase from the Aberfeldy range, including 18yo, a travel retail exclusive.

The Aberfeldy Scotch whisky promotion at London Heathrow airport

The promotion features a whisky sommelier who tells the story of Aberfeldy, founded in 1898. Items on display include antique-style weighing scales synonymous with how gold was weighed in bygone eras and gold coins embossed with the Aberfeldy crest.

Aude Rocourt, regional director Europe of Bacardi Global Travel Retail, said: “This activation is driven by a pure focus on the extraordinary heritage of the Aberfeldy brand, expressing the quality, authenticity and natural elements of its crafting since 1898. Travellers can enjoy a remarkable tasting experience, complemented by promoters sharing the Aberfeldy story with genuine passion. In addition, they will love the intriguing thrill of adding a gentle splash of Aberfeldy’s other remarkable liquid – the water of Pitilie Burn.”

In a second promotion for Whisky Festival 2014, Glen Deveron Highland single malt Scotch whisky, Royal Burgh Collection, is in the spotlight at World Duty Free Group’s shops at several Spanish airports, including Barcelona.

In 2013, Bacardi partnered with World Duty Free Group on a global, exclusive basis to launch Glen Deveron, Royal Burgh Collection, featuring 16yo, 20yo and 30yo expressions. The collection was developed specially for travel retail and was available exclusively at World Duty Free Group stores in the UK and Spain for its first year of release.

The Glen Deveron whisky bar at Barcelona airport

In Barcelona, a specially created Glen Deveron bar offers a brand experience with skilled bartenders. Strong visual branding and the brand story running on digital screen further emphasise the heritage of Glen Deveron.

Rocourt said: “Having worked together right from the synthesis of the idea of specifically creating the Glen Deveron for travel retail over 18 months ago, we have gone on to share ideas and ensure that our joint input helps us both optimise the quality and effectiveness of the stream of activations supporting Glen Deveron.”

The Whisky Festival 2014 runs until the end of June and is featured at World Duty free Group’s airport stores across Spain and the UK.

MCM embarks on a tour of Japan

MCM is marking its grand debut in Japan with a series of pop-up stores touring the country, following the official opening of its Tokyo flagship in the prestigious Ginza district of the city. The German luxury house has designed a "pack up and go" concept for these nomadic boutiques. MCM describes it as an “old-school trunk show”, as the display fixtures mimic the brand’s vintage trunks.

MCM's pop-up store in Takashimaya, Yokohama

The pop-up spaces focus on the brand’s signature Heritage line with its famous monogram logo, along with the latest must-have backpacks, shoppers, accessories and animal charms.

The first stop on the pop-up tour was Takashimaya in Yokohama in May, followed by Isetan in Tokyo’s trendy Shinjuku neighbourhood the same month. Then it was on to Mitsukoshi in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi business district.

Take a look at the pop-up tour pictures below:

MCM at Takashimaya, Yokohama

MCM at Takashimaya, Yokohama

MCM at Isetan, Shinjuku, Tokyo

MCM at Mitsukoshi, Nihonbashi, Tokyo

Bacardi masters super-premium rum

Bacardi has unveiled a new, super-premium white sipping rum, exclusively for travel retailers. Bacardi Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron celebrates the brand’s skilful Master Blenders and aims to be a sophisticated trade-up option for premium white spirits drinkers.

Bacardi Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron

The blend was inspired by a recipe passed down through generations of Master Blenders and uses a slow-filtering of the blended rum – aged up to three years – through a coconut shell charcoal. The rum expresses fruity, floral and vanilla notes with hints of walnut, oak and almond with a taste that is mellow, with slightly sweet notes and a hint of vanilla. It can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

Retailing at £36 for one litre, the new product has a sophisticated and distinctive bottle featuring solid Georgian green glass and elegant, strong lines. The optical effect of the glass interacting with the rum aims to enhance the clarity, smoothness and purity of the liquid.

Bacardi’s heritage is expressed through a wax seal, featuring the brand’s famous bat logo, engraved script on the glass, a hand-crafted label and a premium stopper shaped from raw wood, which emphasises the authentic and natural product.

The new spirit will be promoted at major airport locations worldwide, beginning this summer. With a particular emphasis on sampling, travellers will enjoy a new Bacardi Cuban tasting bar concept, re-creating an authentic retro-style experience of old Havana.

Mike Birch, managing director of Bacardi Global Travel Retail, believes Gran Reserva will deliver a new dynamic to the rum category. He said: “The global super-premium white spirits segment has grown strongly over the past decade and, backed by the unique quality and heritage of the Bacardi brand and its market-leading position in the category, we are seizing a clear opportunity to upgrade existing white spirits shoppers into the super-premium white rum segment. We are confident that this stunning innovation with Bacardi Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron will set the pace globally for growth in the rum category and inject new levels of excitement among consumers that will ultimately lead to premiumisation of the rum category as a whole.”

Mumm Champagne teams up with F1 driver

Champagne house G.H.Mumm has announced its new partnership with Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, who races for the Lotus F1 team. This is the first time the Pernod Ricard-owned brand has appointed an F1 driver as an ambassador.

F1 driver Romain Grosjean (right) is the new ambassador for G.H.Mumm 

To coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix in May, G.H.Mumm also unveiled a new promotion for its Formula 1 Cordon Rouge limited-edition bottle at the Scandlines Bordershop in Puttgarden, Germany. Passengers discovered an exclusive in-store exhibition displaying the special edition Champagne bottle, which features the laurel crown, the symbol of victory.

Jenny Shipton, marketing director of Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Europe, said: “For the past 12 years, G.H.Mumm been sharing the podium with the winning teams of Formula 1 racing and it is very exciting to build further awareness of sponsorship in travel retail Europe. The new limited edition reinforces our position as a leading Champagne sponsor and we are confident it will appeal to Champagne fans who are passionate about auto racing.”

A dedicated tasting bar was also created for product sampling in the store. Each Saturday throughout May, customers were invited to meet Danish celebrity and Champagne enthusiast, Mads Christensen, who hosted dedicated tastings and also performed live the iconic sabrage demonstration. And Formula 1 fans who purchased more than one bottle of G.H.Mumm Formula 1 Cordon Rouge were able to redeem a complimentary gift, including a branded cap and cork stopper.

Davidoff unveils artful cigar boxes

Davidoff has unveiled its first original artworks in celebration of its role as associate partner of Art Basel. The Davidoff Art Initiative’s first Davidoff Limited Art Edition cigar boxes feature original commissioned artwork by the Caribbean artist Quisqueya Henríquez. 

Two limited-edition cigar boxes, each one manufactured in a quantity of 3,000 and stocked with custom-made cigars developed exclusively for the collection, were presented at Davidoff’s VIP hospitality lounge at the Art Basel show in Hong Kong, which was held in May.

Henríquez was also invited to create a limited run of 50 Collectors Editions, which include the special-edition box of cigars as well as an original artist’s print from the series of images developed for the project. Each artwork is unique and can be selected by the customer at the time of purchase.

Davidoff's Limited Art Edition cigar boxes

The compositions created by Henríquez for the Davidoff Limited Art Edition and the Collectors Editions seek to evoke the intricate artisanal skill of cigar-making and evoke the multiple phases involved in cigar manufacturing. The richly coloured images obtained from the layering of multiple photographs of tobacco leaves, create a composition that, while abstract, hints at the source materials involved in its creation.

“I have always had in mind to work with images that illustrate time and the many different steps involved in the tradition of cigar-making,” said Henríquez, who was born in Cuba and now lives in the Dominican Republic. The finely layered images, inspired by the artist’s multiple visits to tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic, capture the time-consuming process of cigar-making and reference the artist’s native Caribbean culture.

Artist Quisqueya Henriquez working on the images

One of the most persistent images throughout her prints is the image of the tobacco leaf, especially its natural complexity. Henríquez also used the Rorschach technique to create a visual field of depth and establish an interactive relationship with the cigar and her pattern designs. Each work in the edition is composed of three or more superimposed photographic impressions of tobacco leaves. Each layer has a slightly different hue, and each allows for some transparency. Although colour manipulation is quite prevalent in some works, the natural colour and texture of the tobacco leaf can still be seen in the abstract compositions.

The final pattern is based on the use of metallic colours inspired by the cigar’s relationship with luxury and beauty. Each design includes its corresponding cigar band and glassine.

Oettinger Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard said: “When we approached Ms Henríquez to do a work for our inaugural edition, we did not ask her to take up the subject of tobacco or cigars directly. So it was all the more gratifying that she asked to visit our tobacco fields in Santiago and spend time there observing our crops and the work methods of our cigar rollers. The works that have resulted from her experiments with photography and the manipulation of tobacco leaves are breathtakingly beautiful, and they also say something profound about the history and culture of the Caribbean.”