Introduction
Capturing the spirit of the famous Mahiki club for a new,
premium coconut liqueur brand.
Challenge
This Tiki-inspired nightclub was already hugely popular and
frequented by celebrities and young royals, when its owners,
Brompton Group, decided to introduce a new, premium, coconut
liqueur into their Dover Street club and high-end fashionable
retailers, such as Selfridges. Working with the Diageo Design
Management Team, we were asked to encapsulate the very essence of
Mahiki in order to extend this aspirational yet accessible brand.
We needed to capture this unique, premium brand's personality,
without resorting to cliché or excessive kitsch.
Solution
With the emphasis on authenticity, we turned to original
Hawaiian prints and fabrics, scouring vintage clothing shops for
our main inspiration and literally dressed the Mahiki bottle in a
classic Hawaiian shirt. Our three different designs depict key
symbols of this fun and escapist but often misrepresented and
misunderstood culture: the South Pacific sea and landscape, the
hibiscus motif and Polynesian carvings and statues. They also add
an inviting collectability factor. The design's tactile matt finish
not only creates a premium feel, it echoes the textures of the
genuine article's coconut buttons and rayon. The challenging print
and production process gave us the opportunity to develop our theme
to the last detail - with mock stitching to conceal shrink sleeve
joins and a garment label to carry the barcode and legal
information. Aloha!