Pernod Ricard has revealed the next edition in the Royal Salute Fashion Collection, this time in collaboration with renowned designer Harris Reed.
The partnership brings together the expertise of Royal Salute Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and the bold, innovative style of Reed, resulting in the Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition.
Reed created three packaging designs for the Royal Salute 21 Year Old, capturing the craftsmanship and creative vision of both partners, offering a striking combination of design and fine whisky.
The limited-edition range launched in global travel retail today (12 September) at an RRP of US$248. The launch coincides with the start of London Fashion Week (13-17 September). The sapphire blue edition is available as a travel retail exclusive.
Reed and Royal Salute’s collaboration began with a private blending session at the Strathisla Distillery in Speyside, Scotland, where Reed and Hyslop worked together to craft a new 21 Year Old blend.
The whisky features sherry-matured Braeval whisky and American oak-matured malts, combined with a rare grain whisky finished in charred virgin oak barrels. The result is a luxurious and well-balanced Scotch with notes of raisins, spices, vanilla and a creamy texture.
Reed’s contribution to the partnership extends beyond the liquid itself. Known for his gender-fluid fashion and statement headpieces, Reed designed a modern interpretation of a royal crown for the flagon, drawing on Royal Salute’s heritage.
Each flagon, adorned with a halo of feathers, is available in three distinct colourways, designed to appeal to both fashion enthusiasts and collectors.
In addition to the whisky release, Reed has designed a bespoke fashion collection inspired by the packaging designs, including three distinct looks and matching headpieces. The collaboration has been captured in a film directed by Ruth Hogben, featuring supermodel Erin O’Connor.
The collection features a fuchsia, turquoise and black-and-gold ensemble, paying homage to the colours of the Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition.
During an intimate media event at the NoMad Hotel in London, The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan sat down with Harris Reed to exclusively discuss his partnership with Royal Salute, the first-ever spirits collaboration for the designer and his eponymous brand.
The Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition is your first collaboration with a spirits brand. Can you tell us how it came to be?
Being a privately owned company, I’ve always been about building the Harris Reed empire rather than just doing something off the rack. Legacy is very important to me.
Two years ago, Royal Salute invited me to an event at the Tower of London and it was wonderful because I loved the sophistication, craftsmanship and attention to detail and their twist on presenting the codes of royalty. That really resonated with me and what my design aesthetic is all about.
When they started talking about the next edition of the Fashion Collection, I couldn’t believe they came to me because I think they are the most perfect partners.
We get plenty of opportunities to do different collaborations, but spirits was something I’ve been holding off on, until something right came along. With Royal Salute, even down to the packaging, I felt like I could make it dramatic and amazing. I even updated the existing toppers to look like crowns themselves.
I think having our shared values of sophistication, the importance of touch and the luxurious aspect was crucial to bringing this collaboration to life.
The Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition notably features three distinct colourways: fuchsia, turquoise and black and gold, alongside some familiar Harris Reed motifs. How did those colours and motifs come into play during your blending session with Sandy Hyslop?
My blending session with Sandy was just extraordinary. My mother has been a perfumer for 25 years, I’ve grown up around perfumes and always had a very attuned nose. So, when I met Sandy and went on this long, incredible process of how Royal Salute blend everything together, I was so inspired.
Coming back to London, I knew the black and gold was crucial. Those two colours exemplified the Royal Salute kingdom and crossed over to the world of Harris Reed, so that was perfect. In the whisky, there were caramel and golden notes, which were also reflected in these colours.
The fuchsia came from this raspberry jam note that we were getting and some of this more fruitiness in the liquid, from the cherry cask. The turquoise sapphire-blue colour is one I started experimenting with in my last collection, and I felt it expressed a modern day regality. I felt those three colours sat very well together thematically.
In terms of the motifs, I’ve always loved playing with headwear which has become a signature in my collections. To me, the face and the head is something that often gets missed out in fashion design.
A lot of people do hats, veils or headbands as an afterthought, where I usually start with that as the first point of reference. For me, it was really important to look back on past works, and I took Beyoncé’s headpiece as a starting point. From there we worked on how we could express it on a box and on a bottle in a way that sat cohesively for a whisky collection in a theatrical way. The result is very Royal Salute but with a Harris Reed twist.
You also created a one-of-a-kind capsule collection which reimagines each bottle as if they were on a fashion runway. Can you tell us more about this creative process?
What I loved about Royal Salute is they were very supportive of my creative process. So, we agreed that I should design some looks around the packaging that embodied the collection. The black-and-gold piece features a fishtail dress, a symbol of the Harris Reed brand and is even on the cover of my book.
The blue piece is my take on modern-day royalty and has a bustier and arm wrap and over-exaggerated hips. The fuchsia piece has a pussy bow, a reference to some of the first pieces I ever created for my music clients.
I’m a designer and so I’m a very visual person and I felt it was important to show the visual reference of the whisky collection through these fashion pieces.
After going on this journey with Royal Salute, what do you see as the intersections between fashion and whisky?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Royal Salute but was admittedly nervous at first because the whisky market is so different from fashion. However, at their dinners I sat with some whisky lovers who were couture clients that went to my shows. I realised that the modern-day whisky customer is also a demi-couture customer. Even just through this project, I’ve met so many people who have now become clients of the Harris Reed brand.
It’s beautiful because there’s an organic nature to the partnership. I also find the whisky-making process to be quite like fashion. Demi-couture is so detail-oriented down to every stitch and whisky is so specific down to every note. It’s all about precision.
What do you think sets this apart from other limited-edition whiskies in travel retail?
I’m a huge fan of duty free. I insist on buying everything at the airport. To me, what sets this expression apart is that it immediately catches the eye, which is so important in a crowded duty-free shop.
From the bright colours to the regal prints, the packaging stands out from the crowd. Also, whisky customers who may not know so much about me will take one look at the packaging and know it is a collector’s piece.
In duty free, I always bought my friends whiskies and Champagnes and I was quite annoyed they didn’t come in a nice box. I’m a big fan of packaging, so being able to create this gorgeous and luxurious packaging for Royal Salute was a dream come true.
Would travel retail be a channel for Harris Reed?
I’m very open to it because there is something special about travel retail. I love the idea of people saving up to go on a trip and being part of that special moment in someone’s life. The Harris Reed brand has always been about celebrating big events, whether that’s Beyoncé on stage or someone’s wedding day.
It’d be wonderful to be part of the anniversary trip that someone is taking, and I think travel retail is the perfect channel for that.
You started Harris Reed while you were still un university and have made it a global success in less than five years. What advice do you have for young designers who want to follow in your footsteps?
Always listen to your gut. If you’re going to do a collaboration and the way they talk about you is not how you would talk about yourself, don’t go through with it. This is something I’ve learned the hard way, because if they don’t understand you now, they won’t understand you later.
Lastly, pursue things with meaning.
What’s your overall ambition for the Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition?
A lot of my younger friends say ‘Oh, whisky is so beautiful but it’s too sophisticated or masculine for me’. My goal with this collaboration is to bring a whole new whisky customer for Royal Salute.
I also feel this is a beautiful way to show the different facets of the Harris Reed brand, which now encompasses jewellery, demi couture and a whisky collaboration with Royal Salute.
I enjoy challenging the norms in fashion with pieces that are ‘too theatrical’, ‘too flamboyant’ or ‘too feminine’. Now I have a whole Rolodex of clients and a whole wave of brands that are doing similar things to me, which makes me so happy. I want to show people that there is a sweetness and softness to whisky and that it can be more unisex and modern.
I think this is a new entry point into the Royal Salute kingdom and I hope that I get to keep growing with them, through this collection, and with whatever else the future holds. ✈
