From LVMH Accelerator to Commercial Launch: RAIKU’s Eminente Rum Gift Box Wins Design of the Year

RAIKU’s first project with Eminente, the Cuban rum brand from the Moët Hennessy Group, has been awarded Design of the Year 2025.

“RAIKU’s collaborative approach meant lightning-fast design iterations without compromising our quality expectations,” said Lorène Audras, Global Brand Manager at Eminente. “They consistently went above and beyond, helping us develop a truly fantastic, first-for-the-brand product.”

Developed through a collaboration that began via the LVMH Accelerator Program, the project saw RAIKU create a high-end gifting solution for Eminente rum, combining luxury industrial design, natural materials, protective engineering and scalable production.

The brief appeared simple: create a premium gift box for a high-value spirits product. In practice, the challenge was far more complex. The packaging had to deliver a luxurious unboxing experience, protect a glass bottle through demanding logistics, meet the quality expectations of a global luxury group, and be ready for commercial production within only a few months.

The final solution brings RAIKU’s natural cushioning material into the luxury spirits sector. Rather than treating cushioning as a hidden technical component, the project integrates it as a visible design element of the product presentation.

The development process required close coordination across design, engineering and production. Our team worked through rapid design iterations, concrete drop-testing, supplier-side production support and the creation of a specialised supply chain capable of delivering the product at the quality level expected by Eminente and Moët Hennessy.

The project combined five core elements: luxury industrial design, sustainable natural materials, transport protection engineering, retail-ready presentation and scalable production.

For us, the Design Award was the cherry on top and recognition for the team: our first project with Eminente and the Moët Hennessy Group, developed from concept to commercial launch and now recognised at top level.

According to Kirke Leinatamm, CEO of the Estonian Design Centre, the winning work stood out because it went beyond surface aesthetics.

“For us, it was important that the solution was not simply a beautiful form, but a thoughtfully designed solution to a real problem,” Leinatamm said. “This work also demonstrates innovative use of materials, strong engineering, and a luxurious user experience that does not end with the use of the product itself, but continues to create value afterwards. We saw in this selected work a clear example of how design can simultaneously solve functional, aesthetic, and environmental challenges.”

The award highlights a wider shift in luxury packaging, where brands are increasingly looking for solutions that combine premium presentation with stronger environmental and functional performance. In this context, RAIKU’s collaboration with Eminente shows how natural materials and engineering-led design can meet the demands of high-end spirits packaging without compromising the user experience.