Moët & Chandon’s Collaboration With Ambush Sees Old World Prestige Presented With Street Edge
It’s a partnership that sees the 278-year-old Champagne House experiencing many firsts.
It’s not everyday that a world renown luxury house announces that it has broken new grounds for itself–let alone one that has over two-and-a-half centuries of history to its name. But with its latest collaboration with Ambush’s co-founder and designer Yoon Ahn, that’s exactly what Moët & Chandon is announcing. The partnership not only marks the champagne maker’s first global product collaboration, it’s also the first time that the iconic Moët Impérial has been redesigned by a female artist. Plus, in a never before done move, Moët will be donating proceeds from this collaborative bottle sales to a charitable cause; more specifically, the World Land Trust, an organisation chosen by Yoon herself. Design wunderkind behind the cult street brand and Dior Homme’s jewellery designer Yoon tells us more about the project in this BAZAAR Singapore exclusive.
Related article: What’s the Difference Between Champagne and Prosecco, Anyway?
Having been given carte blanche to re-design the Moët Impérial bottle, what did you set out to do?
It was a great challenge given its recognisable and iconic codes, but I also saw it as a great opportunity to bring my own aesthetics to a bottle so well known around the world. I set out to bring a disruptive freshness. I wanted to conserve some of the truly iconic codes of the bottle, but I played with colour and label to make an impact. I changed the gold neck of the bottle to a deep shade of black, contrasting it with a new embossed label in white, to produce an eye-catching design that suggests a blank slate, like a window onto a future filled with possibilities for those who dare step forward.
Related article: Drinking Champagne Every Day ‘Could Help Prevent Dementia And Alzheimer’s’
Moët & Chandon teams up with Ambush's Yoon for its first-ever collaborative global campaign
What are you most proud of about this collaboration?
The balance of mutual values I managed to achieve for both Ambush and Moët & Chandon. We found a balance where the design encapsulates my pioneering spirit as a “rule-breaker”, while maintaining a profound respect for Moët & Chandon’s time-honored traditions of craftsmanship and transmission of know-how, and a desire to put contemporary creation in the service of preserving nature.
A portion of the profits from this collaboration will benefit World Land Trust, a charity you’ve chosen. Can you tell us more about this?
On my visit to Epernay, home to Moët & Chandon since 1743, I saw the devotion of its people to nature and their precious terroir. This inspired me to select the World Land Trust to receive the support of the House, so that together we could help preserve other terroirs around the world. The mission of World Land Trust is to support local conservation partners, like Fundación Jocotoco in Ecuador, in their efforts to halt the destruction of ecosystems and to protect habitats where rare and endangered species still survive.
Yoon putting the finishing touches on her design for Moët & Chandon's iconic Moët Impérial bottle
You’ve said in interviews that you’d only collaborate on projects that you can connect with. What was it about this project that made you say yes?
At Ambush, we have always embraced new visions, but we only accept collaborations where we can learn something new. This is indeed my first collaboration with a Champagne house; I was curious to learn about Moët & Chandon and its champagne-making heritage. What made this collaboration with a 278-year-old company so meaningful, was that it was based on a mutual respect, and the desire to tell a compelling story. That is what makes any collaboration genuine. It cannot be just about marketing because today’s consumers are savvy. We have tried to create a new synergy which is a great way to communicate shared values.
You have a vast design portfolio – from Ambush to men’s jewellery, sneakers, sunglasses, etc. If someone were to ask you about the design ethos that runs consistently through each Yoon creation, what would you say that is?
That would be my personal intuition. I always draw from the sources that make me who I am. Ambush is a small company that has a recognisable touch, which is modern, diverse and very inclusive, and it speaks to today’s young generation.
Moët & Chandon x Ambush Limited Edition, $75, is exclusively available online at 1855thebottleshop.com from 26 February; and at 1855 The Bottle Shop Suntec City from 5 March 2021.