818 Tequila's new bottle by Valerio Sommella shapes from the ceramic crafts of Mexico

Most brands that are established by celebrities, focus on their names as part of the branding and relevant marketing pegs. Whether it be makeup, skincare, fashion or even home decor, brand endorsements profit from the popularity of the names associated with them. In such a scenario, product design is not something that people are particularly looking for or into. But when American model Kendall Jenner launched the latest version of her brand 818 Tequila, she turned to Milan-based industrial designer Valerio Sommella to design the bottle. The Eight Reserve by 818 Tequila appears in tones of light amber with copper hues and demonstrates aromas of a blend of vanilla, clove and cinnamon, toasted nuts, honey, orange peel, and black cherry.

American brands and celebrities endorsing and producing tequila has raised a few controversies over the years, mainly because such businesses put small family-owned tequila makers, especially from Mexico, out of business. While these discourses remain, Jenner’s brand's name takes inspiration from her hometown, Calabasas in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. However, with the bottle design of this new launch, 818 Tequila and Sommella pay tribute to tequila’s native roots in Mexico. The handmade ceramic decanter is said to be produced by local artisans in Pachuca, Mexico adorning the ceramic art of the region. Shaped like an '8' in the front and a '1' when viewed from the sides, the white ceramic bottle mimics the brand’s name 818 and symbolises its history, as Sommella defines, “818, by name and by nature.”

The Italian designer recounts the inception of the project from his encounter with one of Jenner’s business partners. That conversation led to the thought process of creating a bottle that will not just be a container but an identity for the product and a keepsake object. Sommella shares that the design process was a journey of unravelling many ideas for its graphic design, varying from pottery, vinyl record covers, metal teapots, and cartoons. While the initial stages of the bottle design discussed the possibility of limited-edition bottles, the final product emerged as a collectable design that goes beyond a limited-edition item.

“The whole process is spread around the world. The development process was done in Milan in my studio, prototypes were developed in Los Angeles and the final production was in Mexico,” shares Sommella. He has worked in the field of lighting design, furniture design and industrial design, as well as consumer electronics and accessories, with his material exploration for design primarily rooted in metal and wood. However, with the design for Eight Reserve, Sommella explored the diverse potential of ceramic as a material, experimenting and learning from the craftsmanship and expertise of the local artisans in Pachuca. Talking about his journey of working with ceramic, he shares, “Each material is different, each one with its own strengths and weaknesses, and ceramic is no exception. Designing with a material is understanding its features, possibilities, and limits. Ceramic was the perfect material for this project, it feels naturally precious with its weight and its finishing possibilities. Last but not the least, this shape would have been impossible in glass.”

Produced through slip casting and then glazed, the process of creating the bottle is completely artisanal. Much of what the bottle stands for is the unique identities of Mexican art and craftsmanship. Respecting the nature of the bottle, the simple and minimal design remains almost label-less, emphasising its materiality and making. “We kept only the necessary information on a small sticker on the back, a simple solution that makes this bottle even more unique,” adds Sommella.

In a time when brands move towards innovative marketing techniques and million-dollar plans for advertising, can the identity of a brand be visualised in its product design?