photography by SIMÃO NOGUEIRA
text by MOIRA GONZALEZ
Last night in London, Johnnie Walker Vault and Olivier Rousteing celebrated the launch of The Couture Blend and The Couture Flask with an intimate dinner and party at The Chancery Rosewood. The event marked the second collaboration between the Scotch whisky house and the designer, bringing together the art of couture and the art of blending.
The evening began with a private omakase dinner at Tobi Masa, co-hosted by Rousteing and Dr Emma Walker, Master Blender at Johnnie Walker. Camera flashes went off as guests, including supermodel Jourdan Dunn and Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick, were welcomed into the bustling soon-to-open restaurant from legendary Michelin-starred chef Masa Takayama, whom Olivier himself described as “an icon.” It takes one to know one.
“This is not a cuisine, it’s a piece of art,” the team at Tobi Masa said, as the table was laid with a sapphire blue tablecloth, white floral arrangements, and Olivier’s gold Couture Flask, setting the stage for a multi-sensory tasting experience. Each course was paired with rare whiskies that make up The Couture Blend, guided by Xavier Thuizat, head sommelier at Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel.
The highlight of the dinner came when Rousteing and Walker revealed The Couture Blend. Guests lifted their glasses multiple times throughout the evening in celebration. Reflecting on the collaboration, Rousteing, who seemed genuinely grateful throughout the evening, said: “This project was about passion and about what I love in life, and today I am here with you with the same passion,” and it was evident in every interaction.
The pair then joked about navigating their Scottish and French accents, highlighting their close bond before adding, “With this incredible collaboration I discovered an incredible family, and creating whisky is not just creating a blend, creating whisky is creating a legacy.”
From dinner, the festivities moved upstairs to the Eagle Bar. Rousteing, fresh from presenting Balmain’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week just a few days ago, grabbed the mic and told guests, “Get ready for the dance floor.” The room quickly filled with energy as a wider circle of friends joined, dressed in structured shoulders, sleek slip dresses, towering heels, and statement gold jewelry. Among them were artists like Gunna and Obongjayar, and models Maxim Magnus and Nassia Matsa, who wore the Couture Flask as a chain belt, a statement accessory that got many admiring looks throughout the night.
The DJ line-up featured NTS DJs Hasani, OK Williams, Lagoon, and the one and only Honey Dijon, spinning everyone’s favorite tracks from Beyoncé’s Renaissance, keeping the party alive late into the night. Johnnie Walker Blue Label cocktails flowed as fashion insiders and friends of the house danced on a seventh-floor terrace with views of the city lights.
The evening ended as it began: with raised glasses, and the kind of spark that only comes from multiple glasses of whisky.
