PLD Innovation Awards Spotlight | Havana Club 7 x Jonathan Raksha Limited Edition Bottle

February 20, 2025

In December 2024, our prestigious jury, composed of brands such as Bacardi, Pernod Ricard, and Veuve Clicquot, gathered to judge the entries for the PLD Innovation Awards. The winners of the PLD Innovation Awards 2025 were announced, celebrated, and honoured at PLD Paris, as part of Paris Packaging Week in January 2025.

Premium Innovation (15€ - 30€)

Please describe the brief for the pack. What were the objectives for the innovation project? What were the requirements and constraints?

The “Havana Club x Jonathan Raksha” limited edition aimed to blend Havana Club’s Cuban roots with jewelry artist Jonathan Raksha’s distinctive style. For the mass-market edition, the brief was to design a paper label that retained the premium feel of the VIP metallic version. The goal was to evoke Raksha’s artistry through visual and tactile elements, emphasising diamond shapes, gold accents, and vibrant colours inspired by his jewellery.

Key design requirements included:

Diamond, gold, and colorful details to reflect Raksha’s aesthetic.
Embossed textures to create a tactile, jewelry-like relief effect.
Visual consistency with the VIP edition to connect both versions while catering to different audiences.

This label design captures the craftsmanship and allure of Raksha’s work, elevating Havana Club’s brand perception and offering an exclusive feel to a mass-market product.

How did the pack fulfil the brief?

The pack fully met the brief by artfully capturing Jonathan Raksha’s craft through innovative techniques that enhanced the label’s visual and tactile appeal.

To evoke a jewel-like feel:

Holographic Foil and Tactile Varnish: a diamond-like texture with multidimensional colors and shimmering reflections, mimicking the sparkle and depth of real gemstones.

Liquid Gold Application: A rich, liquid gold ink was used for golden accents, adding an authentic, high-luxury gleam to the label.
Pearlescent Varnish: This coating intensifies the blue elements, imbuing them with a lustrous, luminous quality reminiscent of Raksha’s signature designs.

These technical innovations presented challenges, particularly in achieving the balance of luxury and durability needed for mass-market production. Each element had to retain its vibrancy and tactile effect under regular handling, ensuring that the final product captured the essence of Raksha’s artistry while maintaining Havana Club’s quality standards.

Why do you believe this pack deserves to win an Innovation Award?

This pack deserves an Innovation Award due to its exceptional blend of artistry, technical innovation, and scalability.

Premium Appeal: The label integrates three distinct foils and three varnish types (holographic, liquid gold, and pearlescent), achieving a luxurious, jewel-like quality that elevates the brand.

Scalability: While delivering high-end finishes, the design also meets industrial bottling standards, making it feasible for large-scale production at around 200,000 units—a rare achievement for such intricate, premium designs.

This pack merges cutting-edge techniques with efficient production capabilities, setting a new standard in mass-market luxury packaging and capturing the spirit of Havana Club and Jonathan Raksha’s craftsmanship.