“I’m grateful for it being done in a cute way”: Takashi Murakami collaborates with Perrier on new bottle design

In the latest instalment in a long line of creative collaborations – from Andy Warhol to Salvador Dalí – French sparkling water brand, Perrier, has collaborated on a bottle design with Takashi Murakami.

Featuring both a bottle design, short animation and documentary film about the process, the campaign’s statement feature is the Japanese artist adorning Perrier’s classic green bottle shape with his iconic flower pattern designs. Elsewhere in the campaign the artist’s recognisable characters, KaiKai and Kiki appear, animated to life.

For Murakami, as described in the behind-the-scenes documentary about the process, the collaboration with Perrier was an exciting new venture to embark on, remembering the first time he came across the brand: “When I was ordering various things at the first date of my life,” the artist explains. “I pretended to be cool and ordered something, some alcohol-like thing came out and I thought, ‘oh no’, but it was carbonated mineral water.”

“The vibrancy and delight of Murakami’s work is the perfect match for Perrier, a brand that has invested in creativity for over a century to bring out a differentiating brand spirit, tinged with unexpected crazy and original personality,” adds Paul Cordina, Perrier’s global communication manager. “We hope that this collaboration, inspired by the pop and colourful universe of Takashi Murakami and the creative spirit of Perrier, will increase the accessibility of art for an even broader global audience.”

In what the artist also believes is the first worldwide collaboration with a Japanese artist for the brand, “There was no strong Asian influence, merged with Perrier to create something new,” and as a result, “In that sense, it is something new.” A long winded process – as Murakami is careful and particular about the proportions and details in which work is viewed – the final designs almost float on the bottle, and look perfectly fitting in its wrap around. Also overseeing the animation component of the campaign, which was made in Perrier’s base in France, “I’m grateful for it being done in a cute way.” The behind-the-scenes documentary can be viewed here, and the full animation here.