How Hennessy, Guerlain and Givenchy Are Using NFTs For Culture and Community

Web3 can sometimes seem like an alien technology and widespread use years away, but some Maisons at LVMH are early adopters and are already embracing the future.

In a bid to understand how NFTS can be used to expand brand culture, explore loyalty programs and entice new consumers to luxury, Hennessy, Guerlain and Givenchy have all launched digital collections. During the LVMH Think Tank, Laurent Boillot (Hennessy CEO), Mathieu Nicou (CDO Guerlain) and Jeremy Muras (CDO Givenchy) sat down with Nelly Mensah to explain what their respective Maisons are doing, and how they are doing it.

Givenchy X Chito

Having made an impression on the Spring 2022 pre-collection with his unmistakable prints, for their first NFT drop, creative director Matthew Williams and Givenchy continued their collaboration with graffiti artist Chito.

The Givenchy X Chito project is made of 15 unique avatar NFTS, each an original piece designed by the artist and created on the Polygon Blockchain, an eco-friendly sidechain, (a sidechain is an independent blockchain which runs in parallel to Ethereum. It allows assets to be created and moved more cheaply and quickly.) The Chito collection is an example of what a luxury collaboration between artist and fashion brands can look like. 

Highlighting the importance of the Givenchy green ambition for the project, Jeremy Muras said, “We wanted it to be sustainable and connected to the brand. We also decided to give all the money to charity.”

Initial communication was kept minimal. As the launch date approached, the Givenchy team changed tact and started to use Twitter to connect with the community. Although a visual medium, Twitter and Discord (a more colourful successor to Slack), not Instagram, are employed for the marketing of NFTs. These new channels are integral to Web3 and Maisons will have to master them to prosper in the space. 

Now you’re probably wondering what happened at the sale (or the ‘mint’, as it is referred to when an NFT is first sold). It began quietly – normal for most NFT auctions of this nature – with the last 20 minutes seeing momentum build. The collection finally sold for 39 ETH (the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain), or around €150,000 at the time. 

The Guerlain Cryptobees

Guerlain chose the Tezos blockchain for their NFT collection Cryptobees. A More niche blockchain, but with near-zero emissions, it matched the Guerlain philosophy and was the best solution for a sustainable project connecting the physical world with the digital.

Working with Yann Artus-Betrand and the Milliére Valley Project in the Yvelines department of Paris, Cryptobees is a collection of specially crafted NFT bees which allow a holder to sponsor a piece of land. 

The piece of land in question is in Yvelines, where 30 hectares of land has been divided into 1828 individual parcels, each connected to one of the Cryptobees. The land is currently being turned back to nature. When you buy a Cryptobee, you get the NFT and you also sponsor one of these pieces of land. 

Although digital art, the Cryptobees were crafted in the artisanal imagination of Guerlain. To ensure every NFT is unique, the traits of 15 species of plants which grow in Yvelines, 25 types of rocks and 4 layers of rarity were all combined by AI to make the Cryptobees.

It’s not too late to be involved in this collection. You can follow the action on the Guerlain Cryptobees Twitter, and if you’re feeling brave, buy one yourself.

The Hennessy H8 NFT Collection

The Hennessy NFT story begins with the release, in 2015, of 250 bottles of the famous H8 Cognac. As well as the specially blended spirit, each edition included a commemorative sculpture, a Baccarat-blown and engraved carafe, a pipette, cork holder, a chest designed by Arik Levy, 4 tasting glasses originally designed by George Riedel and Yann Fillioux, a personalized authentication plate and numbered certificate. 

Only two remained with Hennessy, the 1st and 250th edition. Very rare. Very exclusive. The perfect product for a luxury NFT.

Exploring questions of exclusivity and luxury, Hennessy pitted the digital versus the physical. Whoever bought the NFT could choose to redeem it and have the Cognac delivered (in which case the NFT would be ‘burned’), or trade it. Working with NFT wine and spirit marketplace Blockbar, the NFT was eventually bought for 66.49 ETH, or €189,000 by a D.A.O (Decentralized Autonomous Organization – internet-native organizations collectively owned and managed by their community)  called The Angry Pitbull Club, itself an NFT collection created by a global meme phenomenon called Hoodville, (welcome to the sometimes wacky world of Web3.)  

For the moment The Angry Pitbull Club are holding the NFT to drink with their community. Although they are yet to claim the Cognac. For Hennessy the collection demonstrated a way to engage a new community, a new path to market and a new base for the Generation Z consumer.

How your Maison can implement an NFT solution With Aura

Both the Givenchy and the Hennessy collections were imagined, designed and created by the Maisons, with the support and expert guidance of Aura, our in-house luxury blockchain solution. 

Challenges are myriad. From regulations, content and coding a contract to building a community in Discord, there are many things for a Maison to learn. But as Mathieu Nicou of Guerlain said, “Start something, get your feet wet and keep it simple.”

When your Maison is ready to get its feet wet, with Aura, we have the solutions to help and guide you.

There is a saying in the Web3 community: ‘we’re early’. It’s true. There is a long way to go, many experiments to carry out and possibilities to explore. NFTs could be the future of luxury loyalty programs, a new channel to market, a way to engage with Generation Z, a whole new layer of culture and community. We are creating something truly original and new, and what is certain, is that Web3 is a new playground for luxury, and Maisons need to start playing.