LVMH cognac maker Hennessy’s Kim Jones fashion collaboration, its pandemic pivot to e-commerce and adaptation to climate change
- Maurice Richard Hennessy is an eighth-generation member of the cognac-making dynasty, which set up shop in France in 1765
- He talks about how distillers are adapting to the changing environment, and Hennessy’s latest collaboration, with fashion designer Kim Jones
Maurice Richard Hennessy represents the eighth generation of the family who originated in Ireland but became synonymous with Cognac, France, where the distilling dynasty – the first letter of whose name is the ‘H’ in luxury conglomerate LVMH – set up shop in 1765.
The 73-year-old retired Hennessy brand ambassador was recently at MGM Cotai in Macau to celebrate a collaboration with luxury fashion designer Kim Jones, which features a limited edition bottle as well as Hennessy’s own line of shoes, designed by Jones.
The visit marked his first to Macau since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Hennessy lived in Cognac with his family during the pandemic with one of his daughters and her children, while another daughter stayed in Paris, worried she would spread the virus by travelling.
“My grandchildren were attending school on the computer, but they were very happy not to be in a flat in Paris,” he says. “We have a large garden so they were very happy.”
As representative of one of the big four big spirits producers around Cognac (the others are Remy Martin, Courvoisier and Martell), Hennessy feels the weight of responsibility as a custodian of the land – and felt it even more during the challenging pandemic years.