Maison Zacapa announces the launch of a collection co-imagined with Luar brand designer Raul Lopez.
Renowned Guatemalan aged rum house Zacapa has announced an exclusive collaboration with Raul Lopez, founder and designer of the accessible luxury ready-to-wear and accessories brand Luar. The man has won two CFDA Awards for Best American Accessories Designer (2022 and 2023) and a CFDA Award for Best American Womenswear Designer (2023).
This unexpected partnership is above all inspired by the values shared by Zapaca and the New York designer, namely the preservation of craftsmanship and heritage. The packaging for this limited-edition collection makes direct reference to the lines of the iconic Luar’s Ana bag, as well as to petate weaving, a craft technique originating in Central American countries and a signature element of Zacapa rum bottles since 1976.
Raul Lopez’s designs, meanwhile, are deeply influenced by his family ties and upbringing in Dominican communities. With this collection, and through the use of petate weaving, the designer pays homage to the Canasto, a woven bag that his mother and grandmother carried on their arms.
A comprehensive collaboration
“Collaborating with Zacapa has been an enriching experience, a celebration of our shared Latino heritage and a tribute to our roots. The expertise of the incredible women of the Petate weaving communities fills me with immense respect. It’s an honor to incorporate their art into my creations. With Zacapa supporting over 700 craftswomen, I’m incredibly proud to showcase their magnificent work as part of our collaboration,” said Raul Lopez.
To form the kit for this unprecedented partnership, Zapaca decided to showcase one of its most cutting-edge creations, the Zacapa XO. This blend of rums aged from 10 to 25 years is accompanied by a selection of elegant accessories: a personalized shaker, a cocktail spoon, linen cocktail napkins, leather and petate fabric coasters and two glasses. The final touch is a superb glass decanter dressed in leather and petate weave.
This is not the first time that Raul Lopez and Zacapa have joined forces. In November 2023, the brand awarded the designer the “Visionary of the Year” prize at the Latin American Fashion Summit 2023 (LAFS) presented in Miami.
Celebrating women
Launched ahead of the Día de las Madres (May 26th), the collaboration aims above all to pay tribute to the women who have not only shaped Raul Lopez’s career, but also contributed to Zacapa’s historic legacy. An initiative made all the more powerful by the fact that at the head of this House of Rum is Lorena Vásquez, the brand’s master blender and a pioneer in a field traditionally dominated by men.
“Every time I hold a bottle of Zacapa, I am filled with pride, inspired by the skill and extraordinary spirit of the petate weavers whose art is the icon of our brand, uniting us with our Guatemalan roots,” she said.
Available in limited quantities, the Zacapa y Luar Collaboration collection can be found exclusively on the online sales site ReserveBar.com.
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Featured Photo: © Zacapa
