Grey Goose vodka has joined forces with Central Saint Martins on the school's largest alumni project to date, the Les Visionnaires scholarship fund. Drawing from the vast pool of creatives who once trained there, they engaged a roster of 21 illustrious participants across multiple industries. Among them are design duo Fredrikson Stallard, interior designer Afroditi Krassa and milliner Stephen Jones.
The alumni were asked to create original artwork in their respective styles, but all reflective of the vodka brand's strapline 'Fly Beyond'. The results have proven to be as fascinating as they are diverse. A handful explored the theme of flight – jewellery designer Hannah Martin, for instance, gave a chiselled, graceful portrayal of a pair of geese soaring in the sky, while Sir Terence Conran reimagined the Grey Goose bottle in the streamlined, iconic form of the Concorde aircraft.
Others took a more whimsical approach – Krassa depicted a fairytale-like figure astride the goose on her bottle, whereas industrial designer Sam Hecht added a simple, cartoonish eye to offer up a playful spin on the brand's mascot. And there were some who sought to reinvent the way in which Grey Goose bottles are presented. Fredrikson Stallard draped a sheet of carefully crumpled aluminium on theirs, and fashion designer Beatrix Ong sealed hers in a bell jar reminiscent of a taxidermy display.
The designs by Martin, fashion designer Jean-Pierre Braganza and writer Iain R Webb have been incorporated into Grey Goose martini gift sets, each in a limited run of ten. These will be sold exclusively at Selfridges from this July. Other artworks will be auctioned off on 2 July 2015, at a special event hosted at the school.
Working with renowned mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, Grey Goose also hosted a creative cocktail atelier for the alumni participants in May, whipping up vodka-based concoctions inspired by their artworks. The resulting cocktail menu will be made available at the Rumpus Room in the Mondrian Hotel, in the final component of the fundraising initiative.
Proceeds from the gift set sales, auction and cocktail menu will go towards the Les Visionnaires scholarship, which supports postgraduate students at Central Saint Martins. Just as the makers of Grey Goose have distilled a refined beverage out of modest traditions, the Les Visionnaires project will enable students from humble backgrounds to receive an education at one of the world's finest art and design schools, nurturing the visionaries of tomorrow.
Jewellery designer Hannah Martin came up with this graceful, linear rendition of geese in flight, in a nod to the vodka brand’s ‘Fly Beyond’ strapline. Martin’s designs is one of three that have been selected for production
The bottle comes in a special case in blonde wood, with Martin’s design etched on the lid in silver. Accompanying accoutrements include four martini glasses, a stirrer, olive picks and a booklet about how to make the perfect martini
Writer Iain R Webb had the words ‘you pour your heART out’ typed on Grey Goose’s signature frosted bottle, drawing parallels between the flow of creative ideas and the pouring of vodka. Webb also changed the typeface of the logo to match
Fashion designer Jean-Pierre Braganza, who is known for complex prints, contributed an intricate avian and floral pattern laid out in the shape of a pair of wings
In line with Braganza’s darkly glamorous aesthetic, the bottle has been tinted in contrasting shades of grey – a marked departure from the light original
Ten of each design by Martin, Webb and Braganza will be available exclusively in Selfridges from next month, with part of the proceeds going to the Les Visionnaires project
Three of the artworks will be sold exclusively at Selfridges as part of Grey Goose gift sets from July. Other alumni artworks will be auctioned at Central Saint Martins on 2 July 2015. Left: interior designer Afroditi Krassa planted a fairytale figure atop the goose motif. Right: fashion designer Beatrix Ong pared back the bottle design and encased it in a bell jar reminiscent of taxidermy displays
Left: Bow & Arrow co-founder Natasha Chetiyawardana’s adorned her bottle with origami. Right: artwork by painter Cathy Lomax showing a figure with a raised cape in blue and white
Left: Dylan Jones, menswear chair of the British Fashion Council used an image of himself as a young student. Jones will be hosting the auction on 2 July. Right: design duo Fredrikson Stallard cloaked their bottle in a sheet of crumpled aluminium in a nod to their sculptural creations
Artwork and bottle by Michiko Nitta, one half of artist duo Nitta & Burton. Nitta opted for a more visceral approach, depicting a goose’s gizzard with accompanying text that explains its biological function
Left: graphic artist Patrick Thomas’ bottle shows bold arrows against bulleyes. Centre: fashion designer Matthew Williamson conceived a bottle with painted flowers and his initials set in crystal. Right: Sam Hecht, one half of Industrial Facility, added a simple eye that humorously brings the original goose to life
Product designer Sebastian Conran disguised the Grey Goose martini set box as a veritable tome, drawing allusions between the imaginative power of books and the liberating effects of vodka
Milliner Stephen Jones envisioned the feathered creation on the left, whereas illustrator Will Broome surrounded a goose with whimsical cartoons for which he is known
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