André Courrèges Designs evian’s 2012 Designer Bottle

evian had started a tradition of  producing designer glass bottles for their premium water a few years ago, and this year the House of Courrèges’s André Courrèges follows in the footsteps of famous design partners Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Paul Smith, and Issey Miyake.   Jerome Goure, VP Marketing, Danone Waters of America, has the following to say about the new limited edition bottle:

“evian and Courreges both share the idea that youth is a matter of attitude rather than age,” said Jerome Goure, VP Marketing, Danone Waters of America. “The idea here was to bring Courreges’ timeless taste for fresh concepts to conceive a water bottle design that radiates a joy and a freedom from convention.”

The bottle is white and pink in color, and its ink is 100% organic, making the bottle fully recyclable.  Although I doubt anyone would be recycling this bottle if they bought it for their personal collection (like me).  Judging from the amount of comments the Issey Miyake evian designer bottle post received (see here), I would say that they have created a cult following for these collector bottles.

evian and these designers lend strong credibility to each other with these limited edition bottles.  All the designers have already made a name for themselves in the fashion industry while evian has made bottled water from the French Alps famous.  The partnership of these two may mean that these bottles attract a new following and puts the product in the hands of more influential people in the fashion industry.  Shoppers may be buying the bottles only because its made by their favorite designer and not even care about the product itself (bottled water).

Since they are so popular, should evian be making these bottles available permanently, around the year?  I would say that limiting its availability creates much stronger demand and keeps their tradition alive.  After all, no one seems to keep a product top of mind when it becomes abundantly available.  And the pricing would ultimately have to come down to increase its market penetration.  As a company that is positioned in the higher-end bottled water market, lowering prices may not make the most sense since it takes away the luxurious aspect of the product.  Keep its availability as it is – release it once a year and let the die hard fans (for either the designer, evian, or both) seek out the product to pick it up.

The release date for this year’s designer bottle is November, and will be available in select hotels, restaurants, and retailers.  I will be on the lookout to add this bottle to my collection (still missing the Christian Lacroix).