Just six months after announcing the IQOS Curious X platform – a breakthrough collaboration with over 20 global artists to push creative boundaries and drive smoke-free innovation – brand owner Philip Morris International (PMI) this weekend unveiled the first fruits of the project, a limited-edition IQOS collection designed by renowned Italian design house Seletti.
Having revealed its alliance with Seletti in April – brought to exhilarating life through the joint creation of The Curious X: Sensorium Piazza, showcased during April’s Milan Design Week – Saturday’s launch represents a seminal moment for IQOS’s development.
The new, limited-edition product is in support of PMI’s grand commitment to a smoke-free world and to celebrate an IQOS following of more than 34 million adult smokers worldwide.
This international premiere marks a milestone, the culmination of the association revealed in April, PMI said.
{“What we have seen since the pandemic is a rapid rise of experiences ranked as the number one driver of travellers to visit duty-free shops and to purchase. At PMI GTR we are elevating that experience component of our initiatives.”
So says PMI Global Travel Retail Vice President Beste Ermaner, speaking in a video interview with The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt, filmed recently at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes. Click on the YouTube icon to view.}
“This is a significant step in PMI’s journey towards a smoke-free future,” said PMI Global Travel Retail Smoke-Free Product Director Mami Sakamaki.
“By collaborating with figures like Seletti who complement our vision, we aim to reach millions of legal-age consumers who would otherwise continue to use cigarettes to fully switch to better alternatives such as IQOS.”
Sakamaki affirmed how the values of Seletti and IQOS complement and strongly align with each other – particularly in their shared commitment to innovation and the courage to drive change (main story continues below The Trinity Forum communication that follows).
“IQOS is a purpose-driven brand with a community of over 34 million adult consumers around the world who have chosen to make a positive change by moving away from cigarettes and switching to a better alternative,” Sakamaki observed.
Driven by a shared commitment to innovation, the partnership explores new possibilities beyond traditional design while challenging the status quo.
“Curiosity is this inner power that makes us move forward and ignite positive change,” said PMI Chief Consumer Officer and President of Smoke-Free Products Stefano Volpetti, while presenting the collaboration.
“It is the relentless force that urges us to seek better experiences, find different perspectives, inspire those around us – and ultimately challenge the status quo.”
As the leading smoke-free brand in global travel retail (GTR), IQOS is present in 68 GTR markets and continues to expand globally. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of retail formats where legal age nicotine users can engage with the IQOS brand grew by +46%.
The IQOS Seletti limited edition has already launched successfully in Japan and will roll out across key GTR markets in November and December, including South Korea, Dubai, Switzerland, Italy, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With limited quantities available in each market, the exclusivity of the edition will further strengthen its appeal among adult international travellers, PMI said. ✈
