La Grande Dame 2015: A Tribute to Nature

by Pamela Tailor | May 2023

VIDEO BY VEUVE CLICQUOT

Veuve Clicquot, famous for its champagne and for vibrant limited-edition designs, recently released the new La Grande Dame 2015. After collaborating with the iconic artist Yayoi Kusama for the La Grande Dame 2012, the brand selected the Italian artist Paola Paronetto for the launch of this new vintage champagne.

PAOLA PARONETTO AT HER ATELIER NESTLED IN PORDENONE, ITALY. PHOTO BY MARTIN BRUNO

Paola Paronetto, celebrated for her work with Paper Clay is also known as the Master of Colors. Her optimism and love for color is definitely a strong connection between her and Madame Clicquot. There is no other champagne brand owning such a shiny and vibrant color as the Veuve Clicquot Yellow, wisely selected by the audacious Madame Clicquot almost 150 years ago. When looking at my growing collection of prestige champagne bottles or when promenading along the shelves of famous department stores, I clearly perceive a strong predominance of classic and monochromatic codes. As a contrast, the Veuve Clicquot Yellow is strong and warm, just like our beloved Sun. As a matter of fact, it is simply impossible not to notice it. “Here I am!”, is what the brand claims in the most charming and positive way.

To celebrate La Grande Dame 2015, the artist Paronetto created a collection of six gift boxes in a shower of shades, all inspired by pure nature. After visiting the Maison Veuve Clicquot in Reims and diving deep into the spirit of Madame Clicquot, Paronetto clearly identified nature as the centerpiece for the spring of inspiration and the essential source for the production of champagne. For Paronetto, nature is simply everything for champagne, the link to the terrain, to the vineyard, and to the Sun. She started with the strong and dominant Clicquot Yellow and expanded the palette by adding further natural hues to create a colorful, yet harmonious world.

PHOTO BY MARTIN BRUNO

LA GRANDE DAME 2015: A COLORFUL YET HARMONIOUS WORLD, INSPIRED BY NATURE | PHOTO BY MARTIN BRUNO

PHOTO BY MARTIN BRUNO

Her love for nature is also reflected by her choice of materials – the gift boxes are made from next generation material, consisting of 60% hemp, 20% cotton and 20% FSC certified woodfibers. It is also the first time that La Grande Dame can be personalized. Six leather charms, in different colors and leather textures have been designed to accessorize the bottle. Made from leather deadstock from one of the LVMH Maisons, the charms are not only customizable but also reusable.

PERSONALIZATION OPTIONS ACCESSORIZE THE PACKAGING

Paola also created a series of sculptures which she called “Giganti”, a composition of three colorful giant bottles, handcrafted with her unique “Paper Clay” technique, which is also the essence of her brand. It combines fiber pulp with clay slip to produce a lightweight, yet strong body that easily absorbs color. She drenches corrugated cardboard in a mixture of watery clay and pulp. When the cardboard burns away in the firing the characteristic ribs remain, resulting in a perfectly imperfect natural aesthetic. The sculptures come along with a set of selected La Grande Dame Vintages. They are produced by the artist herself and take two months to be completed, while no two pieces are the same.

PHOTO BY MARTIN BRUNO

THE EXCLUSIVE "GIGANTI" FAMILY | PHOTO BY MARTIN BRUNO

This poetic celebration of colors and nature leaves me thinking: What’s coming next? Who will be the following courageous and inspiring artist or designer accepting the challenge to creatively collaborate with the champagne brand dressed by the Sun?

"LA TABLE DE LA GRANDE DAME": AN IMMERSIVE DINING EXPERIENCE AT THE HOTEL PLAZA ATHÉNÉE FOR THE LAUNCH OF LA GRANDE DAME 2015 | VIDEO BY VEUVE CLICQUOT

VISIONARY CHEF JEAN IMBERT CREATED A UNIQUE AND COLORFUL MENU, SERVED SURROUNDED BY THE VIBRANT ARTWORKS OF ARTIST PAOLA PARONETTO | PHOTO BY VEUVE CLICQUOT

- This article has been published on the Edition 205 of the Creativ Verpacken Magazine -

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