PARIS — Moët & Chandon has joined forces with Pharrell Williams on a collection of limited-edition bottles and a global advertising campaign that aims to put the “Happy” into birthdays.
The film and images were unveiled on Saturday, kicking off a worldwide rollout that will include an outdoor campaign, a takeover of the facade of Harrods department store in London, and pop-ups in cities ranging from Mexico City to Tokyo.
“We’re super excited. It’s one of the biggest campaigns that Moët has done in a long time because it’s so global,” Sybille Scherer, chief executive officer of Moët & Chandon, said in an interview.
“He’s truly global. We are truly global as well, so we feel it’s such a perfect fit, and it will bring, hopefully, happiness and joy to the world,” she added.
As creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, Williams is an organic partner for Moët & Chandon, which belongs to the wines and spirits division of luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
In the months after taking up his position at Vuitton in 2023, he took a tour of the Champagne house’s historic wine cellars and stayed at Château de Saran, its stately country home surrounded by forests and vineyards.
The Moët & Chandon Pharrell Williams limited-edition collection.
Anthony Seklaoui/Courtesy of Moët & Chandon
While other rappers extol the virtues of Cristal, Ace of Spades or Dom Pérignon, Williams said he prefers to toast special occasions with a glass of Moët & Chandon bubbly.
“Moët & Chandon has a rich history and heritage, yet it continues to evolve and remain relevant in today’s culture. It’s not just about the Champagne itself, but the values of joy, togetherness and celebration that it embodies,” he told WWD in an emailed exchange.
“Moët & Chandon is about creating special moments and bringing people together, which is something that resonates deeply with me,” Williams added. “When I was old enough to drink, Moët & Chandon was my choice for celebrating.”
The campaign shows him joining a diverse group of friends as they come together for a birthday party in Paris. One brings flowers, another cake and Williams shows up with a magnum featuring an oversize bow in midnight blue, one of his signature colors.
Take a Bow
“Moët has always stood for celebrations, the big and the small ones,” said Scherer. “And he had this idea of celebrating the most universal of all celebrations, your birthday.”
She noted that 22 million people mark their birthday every day around the world.
The collaboration offers a range of products that are ideal for gifting. They range from limited-edition bottles priced at 45 euros to the Jewel Masterpiece, a jeroboam of Brut Impérial available in a numbered limited edition of 30, costing 30,000 euros apiece.
The Jewel Masterpiece from the Moët & Chandon Pharrell Williams limited-edition collection.
Anthony Seklaoui/Courtesy of Moët & Chandon
The bottle, covered in a mirrored chrome coating, is decorated with hand lettering with embossed relief pearls in paint, courtesy of artist Astrid de Chaillé, who also painted the midnight blue wooden case with a special “Pharrell” signature.
Adorning the neck is an oversize bow embroidered with more than 7,000 pearled beads, requiring 300 hours of handwork.
It was made by specialized workshop Atelier Baqué Molinié, which also created the bows for a capsule collection of magnums in different colors: black for the Grand Vintage Collection 2003; midnight blue for the Brut Impérial, and white for the Nectar Impérial Rosé.
These retail for 650 euros apiece, and the bows — inspired by an archival bottle design from the 19th century — can be detached and worn as brooches, marking only the second time that Moët & Chandon has created a fashion accessory.
Customers can shop the collection in pop-up shops at department store La Rinascente in Milan; Dubai International Airport; concept store Jet in Mexico City; the Galería Canalejas shopping mall in Madrid, and O-Yane Plaza, a multipurpose entertainment space in Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills district.
Harrods, which is home to a permanent Moët & Chandon bar, will host a separate pop-up from March 10 to 30, with a takeover of its facade on Brompton Road from March 17 to 30.
The temporary spaces, done up like blue gift boxes, will offer special birthday rituals and opportunities for personalization.
Pharrell Williams with a limited edition magnum of Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé Champagne.
Anthony Seklaoui/Courtesy of Moët & Chandon
Outdoor ads will run from Saturday, with a focus on the U.S., France, the U.K., Spain, Germany, Mexico and Australia. The category leader, Moët & Chandon is present in 150 markets, with one bottle popped every second, according to the brand.
A Challenging Year
The campaign film is by Convoy, the creative and brand agency founded by Juan Costa Paz and Nordine Benotmane, while Anthony Seklaoui shot the photographs.
“The goal is to inspire people to cherish the special moments in their lives and to come together with loved ones to celebrate. It’s about spreading joy and creating memories that will last a lifetime,” said Williams, who is dressed in a Vuitton suit and pearl brooch in the clip.
“Wearing a look from Louis Vuitton in the campaign was a natural choice, as the design of these special limited-edition bottles dovetails perfectly with some of the propositions I have developed as menswear creative director of the brand,” he said.
The Moët Hennessy division is under new management, following the recent arrival of LVMH veteran Jean-Jacques Guiony as president and CEO, with Alexandre Arnault joining him as deputy CEO.
It’s counting on the collaboration to lift its sales of Champagne, which were down 8 percent on an organic basis last year amid a global slump in luxury spending, according to sources familiar with the LVMH data.
Scherer declined to give figures, but said Moët & Chandon’s performance was broadly in line with the segment, which also includes brands like Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon. “We’re not better, and we’re not worse. Having said that, we gained market share in many markets,” she said.
Compounding a complex situation, unfavorable weather slashed France’s 2024 wine harvest. “Last year, for sure, was a difficult one. I mean, we never had so much rain,” said the executive, though she noted that chardonnay fared better than red grapes.
“We remain very positive for the future as long as we do our work, which we do in terms of crafting the most exceptional Champagne and experiences — how do we bring innovation to our category?” she added.
The brand is doubling down on its fashion credentials, following its summer pop-up last year with designer Charles de Vilmorin. It has previously created limited-edition bottles with the likes of Yoon Ahn, Virgil Abloh and Public School.
“A partnership like the one with Pharrell gives us the relevance to attract the next generation of Champagne drinkers,” Scherer said.
