Siblings Alex and Emma Watson’s gin company Renais has launched its first clothing collection, in collaboration with handcrafted Italian footwear brand Del Toro.
While the spirit company currently sells hats on its website, this is Renais’ first foray into the apparel space. Alex Watson, chief executive officer and cofounder of Renais, told WWD that the brand’s hats were created in Renais’ early days as “a bit of a laugh” but then realized the caps were doing well. “We knew that we were onto something with people wanting to wear and own the brand in new ways — and this finally lets us do that in a way that’s meaningful.”
After Brady Perrigo, chief executive officer of Del Toro, drank a Renais cocktail in London he was inspired to connect with the gin brand — and thus the collection was born. Perrigo said Renais tasted like they put care into their product and stand out from other heritage and celebrity brands geared toward commercialism.
While Del Toro is a footwear company, the brand has been expanding in the apparel space — “but nothing to this extent,” Perrigo said.
“Talent and passion,” Watson said, was a key element in the formation of the partnership. Perrigo added that the brands’ shared dedication to craftsmanship, having an elevated customer experience and “no-shortcut approach to brand integrity” made the collaboration a no-brainer.
The brands’ passion for family and tradition was another point of brand alignment between Del Toro and Renais. Starting with a “blank canvas” and after meeting to discuss each other’s background, Watson and Perrigo decided to create a “vintage [Great] Gatsby-era” inspired collection — which Watson said fits into the brands’ “cool vintage but modern” aesthetics.
With sustainability being a major focal pillar of both Emma Watson’s personal philosophy and the brands’, Alex Watson said that it was the first thing they talked about with the Del Toro team. The collection uses recycled materials where possible and “importantly, managed and monitored waste accordingly.”
Noting that Perrigo has been a champion against fast fashion practices in production and their negative impact on the environment, Watson explained that this collection used every yard of fabric and opted to underproduce garments if there was even a chance of raw materials wastage or overages. Moreover, Perrigo and Watson ended up canceling more than a few productions if their materials minimum prices were too high — even if it made sense economically.
“Every garment was inspired by a vintage piece that we were able to touch and feel to really focus on what it was that we were trying to achieve,” said Perrigo. “We designed every single garment by hand. Every single aspect of it with pen and paper. We sourced and inspected every single material and garment by hand. It was all very personal, very hands-on.”
This collection features a wide range of products from hats to cardigans, sweatshirts, coats and socks for all genders in a unisex style. Perrigo weaved his craftsman-focused knowledge with the Renais DNA and bottle design; the gin’s signature yellow hue can be seen throughout, and its Flapper Girl Martini sweatshirt features an illustrated and embroidered lemon martini.
The campaign imagery, “a celebratory scrapbook” evoking a sense of nostalgia, was shot on film in the town of Gordes, France, and also nods to the heritage of Chablis, France, where the Watson family has been growing its vineyard of grapes for more than 30 years.
“Ultimately, the collection is about doing something we’re proud of for both of our businesses and delivering something unique and cool for our consumers,” concludes Watson. “The added plus is we’re also inviting people into our respective brands from our audiences; welcoming in people to Renais who may not be big drinkers but are interested in fashion and welcoming in a fashion orientated audience from Del Toro to the world of luxury gin.”
The Renais x Del Toro collection will be available for purchase on the Renais website and ranges from $20 to $348.
