The Swift of peace, a poetic allegorical design by Vincent Darré
For the festive season, Maison Martell has partnered with French designer Vincent Darré, who has brought his poetic vision to House icon Martell Cordon Bleu, reinterpreting the historic Martell swift emblem to create a contemporary allegory of peace.
A flamboyant artistic collaboration with French designer Vincent Darré
For the Martell Cordon Bleu Limited Edition 2024, Maison Martell collaborated with the designer and interior decorator Vincent Darré. He is known for his flamboyant creations which draw on different styles and eras to offer a luxurious, contemporary vision of French decorative arts. When he visited Maison Martell in Cognac as inspiration for the project, Vincent Darré felt like an explorer discovering an unknown land. He describes it as travelling through time, thanks not only to the illustrations and accounts he found in the archives, but also to the place itself, with its strange and wonderful alchemy.
An allegory of peace whose hero is the Martell Swift
Swifts – the historic emblem of Maison Martell – are at the heart of the story told by Vincent Darré on the Martell Cordon Bleu Limited Edition. He has redrawn them in a style evoking doves of peace, thus creating an allegory in which the Martell swift is the bearer of a universal message of warmth and generosity, directly linked to the personality of Martell Cordon Bleu.
Soaring tirelessly over land and sea, the Martell swift is envisioned by the designer as an ambassador of cognac on all five continents. In this poetic fresco, the blue ribbon of Martell Cordon Bleu connects the swifts, just as this iconic cognac connects people with the generosity of its taste. The solar character of Martell Cordon Bleu is symbolised by the image of the sun shining over the earth. The gift box is cut away to partially reveal the story on the bottle, as well as reprising its key elements – the swift, the globe and the blue ribbon – evoking the voyage of the swift and the global renown of Martell Cordon Bleu. True to the style of Vincent Darré, both the box and the bottle have a watercolour effect, further reinforcing the artistic dimension of the design.
Martell Cordon Bleu: the House icon
The Martell Cordon Bleu limited edition by Vincent Darré revisits the House’s iconic cognac, which was created in 1912 by Edouard Martell, the great-grandson of Jean Martell. From the start, it was destined to be one of a kind: a new quality of cognac to be served in the world’s leading hotels and restaurants, with a unique taste and a bottle which – for the first time – bore a name, referencing the emblematic blue ribbon of excellence. Its blend of more than 100 eaux-de-vie is influenced by generous floral aromas from the small Borderies terroir, the signature of Maison Martell since it was founded.
The taste of Martell Cordon Bleu has remained unchanged since 1912; instantly identifiable for its richness, elegance and finesse, it is emblematic of the Martell style.
