The packaging concepts for the second year of collaborative design project Make a Mark were showcased at LUXE PACK Monaco last week. Beauty and fragrance is a new category focus this year. The design project gives carte blanche to a curated selection of creative agencies worldwide.
Some 20 projects from design agencies around the world have set out to reinvent the future of luxury packaging as part of the Make a Mark initiative led by Estal, Avery Dennison and Kurz. Make a Mark is now in its second year, with projects pushing boundaries in terms of design, innovation and materials.
“We've had a fantastic reaction to the projects this year,” Vladimir Tyulpin, Market Segment Leader Premium Packaging Solutions at Avery Dennison, tells Luxe Packaging Insight. “Many of them are leveraging sustainability-related aspects, but we are also seeing a lot of complex projects trying to solve complex consumer problems related to packaging,” adds Estal Commercial Director Jan Garcia.
Last year's projects were solely focused on wine and spirits, but for the 2022 edition, five projects are devoted to fragrance, with several wine and spirits projects also taking their cues from the beauty industry. “Our goal was for a quarter of this year's projects to be related to beauty and fragrance; let’s not forget that we are showcasing Make a Mark at LUXE PACK Monaco, where this segment is a big driver of packaging innovation,” says Garcia.
We look at this year's projects in part one of our series devoted to Make a Mark. Sign up to our newsletter to read part two.
With Epochia, 43'oz design studio from Moldova created a wine “so old that it becomes a museum piece”. The aged-looking bottle (Estal Prima Burgundy Wild Dark Glass 750ml) has a contemporary neck label and is topped with Labrenta’s T-shape Wood Conic blue stopper. The facing label is made of Avery Dennison’s Fasson Cotton White, embellished with digital offset printing, hot stamping (Kurz Luxor MTS 420 transfer foil) with H+M tools and debossing with microtexture. Flexlabel SRL is the print partner.
56 Mar Design Studio of Dubai’s Pharaonic project is a perfume bottle inspired by the culture of ancient Egypt. Embossed golden shapes resembling falcon wings with hieroglyphic debossed symbols decorate the sides of the custom 200ml bottle (Estal). A statue of Tutankhamun inspired the design of the cap (Signet), while Avery Dennison’s Fasson Bright Foil Gold New is used for the label decorated with Kurz digital embellishment and inline foiling. The print partner is Emirates Printing Press.
Barcelona-based Aktiva Brand Experience Design’s Vannity is a Bluetooth-connected perfume concept exploring how fragrance can be transformed into a physical experience thanks to scented jewelry made of ceramic and perfumed polymers.Vannity uses a custom bottle and closure (both Estal) – its shape takes its cues from alabaster bowls used during shamanic rituals to make ointments. Avery Dennison’s Fasson Artisan Blanc Plus FSC and Fasson Velvet Garnet is printed by Etinsa using hot-stamping (Kurz transfer foil) with H+M tools and embossing.
With Saulvage, Appartement103 creates a “bridge between creation and destruction”: a spirits concept expressing climate disasters. Each variant includes a piece of burnt wood sourced from mega-fires in 2021. The bottle and closure (both Estal) are custom-made. The label uses Avery Dennison’s Fasson rPaper Black FSC. Printed by Imprimerie Jacqueli, it is embellished with offset printing, embossing, silkscreening and hot-stamping (Kurz Colorit Trans 812, Kurz Luxor Mth 425 Foil) with H+M tools.
Black Eye Project from the UK created What’s Your Poison, a concept based on vintage poison flacons. The custom blue bottle (Estal) features sharpened ridges and a nail hammered into the Labrenta T-shape Wood Conical Cobalt stopper. Avery Dennison’s Fasson Paper Watermark 120 FSC is used for the label printed by Royston Labels and embellished with digital and flexographic printing, blind hot stamping, micro-embossed stamping and multi-level emboss with H+M tools (Kurz foils).
With Pie-Floater, Australia’s Black Squid Design sought to transpose to packaging that recalls a hearty pie dish traditionally served after a night out. Designed to be laid on its side, Estal’s Decanter Lucia features Vinolock’s Premium Aurora glass closure. Different elements of the culinary dish are incorporated into the design using Kurz foil finishes and layers of sculptured embossing. CCL Label is the print partner, while the label material is Avery Dennison’s Fasson Cotton White and Clear BOPP with PET liner.
Bullet Inc of Japan was inspired by the city of Toyko and its cultural melting pot for Urban Geeks Tokio sake. The bottle (Estal DA Eco Dome Custom) is topped with a Vinolok Classic black glass closure and features an indent for the wraparound label which resembles an electronic circuit. The base pattern was printed, then small metallic parts were hot stamped and embossed on top. Copper and silver shades made with Kurz transfer products have a metallic texture.
With its Vivané perfume, Poland’s Flov created a glass “soap bubble” encased in a stone frame. The bottle and closure (both Estal) are custom made. The label is printed by GRAFPOL, using digital printing on Avery Dennison’s Fasson Matt Wine Black FSC paper and embellished with embossing of KURZ LIGHT LINE® SB Liquid Select Ts-XI.
forceMAJEURE, of the US sought to join a fragrance renegade movement with its Noumenon refill-and-spray fragrance ritual. At the center of the three-tiered object (glasswork by Estal) is a lightweight copper glass bottle called the Essence Well, containing a fragrance and fitted with a pump. Surrounding the Essence Well is the Vessel, and at the top of the object is the Diffuser, a small atomizer refilled from the Essence Well with each use. Housing the components is a wooden crate (Norline) fitted with a custom-made molded pulp platform that uses Knoll Packaging’s Ecoform material. The paper card is Gmund's Heidi. Avery Dennison Fasson 70# Fasson 25% Cotton Feel and Black Cotton Feel is used for the label adorning the crate, embellished with blind embossing and hot-stamping embossing using Kurz foil.
French design agency Lonsdale looked to create a new vision of luxury with its Khus fragrance concept based around the vetiver plant. With this zero-waste concept, vetiver is used in the product formula, label, cork, cord and outer structure of the bottle. The bespoke Wild Glass flacon (Estal) is adorned with a label made from Avery Dennison Fasson rFleury Chene FSC. It is printed by Poly Imprim (Groupe Eurostampa) using hot stamping with H+M tools and Kurz LUXOR MHC 365 foil, embossing and debossing.
