A vodka bottle bearing KAWS's most recognizable symbol: the wide-eyed, X-marked CHUM character, flanked by his signature "XX" tag. This isn't the usual streetwear collab in the form of apparel or sneakers — it's the ABSOLUT KAWS Artist Edition, a limited bottle designed personally by KAWS, now open for pre-order and set to launch at select US retailers.
The back of the bottle features another piece — the original painting Absolut commissioned from KAWS, which served as the starting point for the entire design. It was ultimately reworked onto the back of the bottle, forming a complete visual pairing with the CHUM character and XX motif up front.
With this bottle, KAWS joins Absolut's artist lineup, which stretches back to 1985. That year, Andy Warhol created Absolut Warhol, the centerpiece of Absolut's first-ever art-driven ad campaign; Warhol then recommended Keith Haring for the next edition. According to brand materials, between 1985 and 2004, over 550 artists created more than 850 works for Absolut, a collection now housed at the Spritmuseum in Stockholm. But while those past works largely lived on ad pages, KAWS has taken the design directly onto the bottle itself.
