YOON and Carl Hirschmann Talk the Art of Drinking Sake With Limited Edition AMBUSH x HEAVENSAKE Cups
Yoon and Carl speak to Hypebeast in an exclusive conversation about the design process.
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AMBUSH and HEAVENSAKE have come together to release a limited edition set of sake cups. HEAVENSAKE, founded by entrepreneur Carl Hirschmann and award-wining champagne maker Régis Camus, was created as a cultural exchange between France and Japan. Overtime, HEAVENSAKE has branded itself as a lifestyle Japanese sake brand for the elite. In conversation with Hypebeast, Carl spoke about how he first came up with HEAVENSAKE. He noticed that there was a gap in the market and the smoothness and clean taste of sake is unparalleled to anything he has drank before. Not to mention, the aftermath of sake appeared more beneficial for the body. Combining the techniques of Japan’s most respected sake breweries with the elegance of French luxury, HEAVENSAKE has enlisted AMBUSH’s Yoon Ahn to continue to carry on this message in the design for their collaborative sake cups.
Within the fashion and design industry, YOON has been known to bring a unique aesthetic, be it through her experimental jewelry line or in her apparel. YOON’s design ethos often features bold and hard-hitting motifs, bringing a sense of futurism to otherwise everyday components. AMBUSH has long been associated as a pop-culture phenomenon with collaborations that span outside of fashion. Now, expanding into kitchenware, YOON lends her design eye to a set of sake cups for HEAVENSAKE. Referencing the artistry of antique ceramic sake cups, the collaboration continues to celebrate the pieces as art in Japanese heritage. The cups are made with tin and the sleek silhouette reflects the Tokyo-based brand’s futuristic aesthetic.
YOON and Carl discuss the design in full length, in a conversation with Hypebeast.
Hypebeast: How did this collaboration come about?
YOON: Carl and I have known each other for a long time and have been fans of each other’s works for a while. We love taking Japanese-inspired items and modernizing it. Carl knew that so we came up with this very distinctive unique shape for HEAVENSAKE and that’s how everything began.
Carl: Through a friend of a friend, we were connected many years ago. Verbal is a great friend of mine and so over the years, we just decided it would be great to do something together.
Can you dive deeper into the design of the sake cup? It’s made in steel which is quite different.
YOON: People are more used to seeing a glass sake cup and not ones that are steel and in this shape. The shape that we created sees the cup narrower at the bottom and wider at the top. I think when you pour into it, you see a movement within the cup that is unique to the the vessel and you don’t really see the shape being done before.
Carl: We had this idea of doing these elevated pieces. Those who drink sake are familiar with the traditional ceramic ones and there is great history in it that dates back centuries. The idea was to make these object appear as jewelry pieces and we want this to be a conversation piece. We want to celebrate Japanese culture and it feels very natural to partner with AMBUSH. When we designed these sake cups, we wanted them to be like objects of art. Just like the traditional ceramic vessels, we wanted the cups to be a modern object of poetry.
Yoon, how have you incorporated the AMBUSH design ethos in the sake cups?
I don’t think its so much about the ethos. It’s always about the collaboration and the conversations that occur before creating the products. It’s about the creative process and if the ideas align, I’ll collaborated on anything… kitchenware, homeware, pet-ware, whatever. That’s what creativity is!
What have you learned about the sake culture in Japan?
YOON: I’m still a student and I’m learning a lot. I do a lot of pairing when I go out to eat Japanese food but because it is so unique, light and does not leave a lingering taste, it’s easy to get into and explore different types of foods and flavors with it. I encourage everyone to try it. Sake truly pairs well with anything and you can use any vessel as your entry point into the culture.
Carl: There’s always an interesting conversation that arises when it comes to a tasting profile of sake. There is still a lot to learn and it’s incredible to be involved with that world with HEAVENSAKE. We meet with Japanese sake masters to understand the brewing process and the details that go into creating the right taste and we want to bring this forward in both our sake and the collaboration.
The AMBUSH x HEAVESAKE Sake Cups are packaged as a pair and presented in a specially designed wooden presentation box. Retailing for JPY 49,500 the cups will be available exclusively at AMBUSH HONG KONG WORKSHOP starting from March 26 and in AMBUSH WORKSHOP 1 in Tokyo from March 29.
