D’Ussé teams up with Humberto Leon

Bacardi-owned D’Ussé Cognac has partnered with fashion designer Humberto Leon for the Lunar New Year.

Leon, who co-founded New York-based fashion label Opening Ceremony and was previously creative director for luxury French fashion house Kenzo, has designed red envelopes for D’Ussé ahead of the festival.

In China, the envelopes are usually filled with money and are seen as a symbol of good luck and fortune.

Leon’s envelopes are adorned with the design of twin dragons with flame emblems and a silver finish. The Chinese character ‘fat’, meaning ‘luck’ or ‘richness’, can also be found on the front, with the traditional greeting ‘gong hay fat choi’ or ‘wishes for a prosperous new year’ on the back.

The envelopes are available with the purchase of the D’ussé XO Limited Edition Lunar New Year gift box (RRP US$250) in select stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and New York City.

Leon said: “I’m excited to be partnering with D’Ussé XO for Lunar New Year, a holiday close to my heart. Sipping Cognac, more recently D’Ussé, has long been a Lunar New Year tradition in my family. Our traditions are centred on doing away with the old and welcoming the new.

“My inspiration for the red envelope collaboration is the twin dragon in the front and fire in the back. The dragon symbolises strength, resilience, and to invigorate another year; and the fire means to transform and begin anew.

“I invite you to join us in celebrating this tradition with D’Ussé, Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous Year of the Dragon.”

The Cognac brand was founded by American rapper Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z. Bacardi acquired a majority stake last year.

After a lawsuit over the brand’s value, Jay-z retained a ‘significant ownership stake’.

D’Ussé’s VSOP expression was a Master medal winner in The Spirits Business’ 2023 Cognac Masters.