With the limited edition Absolut Rock launched in 2009, you know that bottle wrapped in leather and studs, we wanted to pay tribute to rock and roll in an Absolut way. Working closely with visionary photographer Danny Clinchand theAustralian rock band Wolfmother, an authentic story about the lifestyle behind the scenes, on the road and on stage of a rock and roll band beautifully unfolded, frame by frame.

An important part of creativity is freedom. And the restriction of any restrictions. Looking at Danny’s track record and creative expression of documenting the biggest rock artists of our time, we therefore tried to intervene as little as possible, giving him the space he needed to do his thing.

Or, as Danny himself put it; “Absolut has an impressive history of collaborating with well respected artists. Being part of that process has been very exciting. The coolest part of this initiative is that Absolut basically asked us to do what we normally do. Wolfmother were recording and performing, and I captured this with my camera. Absolut has always been at the forefront of artist collaborations and it really is amazing when no one has to compromise on ones art when doing a great advertising campaign.”

And we were thrilled about what came out! During a couple of days, Danny followed Wolfmother around L.A., shooting more than 4000 documentary photos and produced an exclusive director’s cut film, depicting his vision of rock and roll and showing his amazing images coming to life. To extend this story and intensify the experience, a selection of Danny’s best pictures was also presented as a gigantic (up to 240sqm) traveling photo exhibition touring through cities in Germany like Munich, Cologne and Hamburg, along with a downloadable audio guide and a printable map to tour the local sites at absolut.com.

“We really enjoyed being part of this initiative,” said Wolfmother’s singerAndrew Stockdale. Absolut introduced us to Danny Clinch, inspired us to collaborate and gave us the space to do our thing. The best results happen when artists are given the trust to do what they do best, and with that freedom Danny has captured an authentic day in the life of Wolfmother – recording in the Sunset Studio in L.A., during a gig and hanging out at the Roosevelt Hotel. This campaign invites people behind the scenes to experience a bit of the classic rock and roll dream”.

Telling the story behind the story in 2009 to consumers, bridging the physical and digital space just a couple of years after Facebook boomed, is a given today but was quite a big deal then. Looking back at this campaign, we are proud to see how three creative forces came together in the name of rock and roll, and made something worth remembering.

Absolut Rock is a limited edition expression of Sweden’s favourite vodka in a rather fetching leather studded case.

Bottles Produced: 3,600,000

Release: 2009

Since the early 90’s, we have had the privilege of collaborating with fashion designers such asTom Ford and Versace, Stella McCartney and Gaultier. With Absolut Mode, we wanted to further strengthen our commitment to the world of fashion and reflect its diversity by launching this twelve facet bottle in collaboration with three leading names from the contemporary fashion scene.

The campaign, featuring supermodel Shannan Click, was shot by renowned fashion photographer Sharif Hamza. To celebrate the launch of Absolut Mode Edition, we also collaborated with leading fashion designerGareth Pugh, who dressed the bottle in an amazing outfit.

To capture the unique bottle design that is wrapped with a band in midnight blue silk cloth with text embroidery, Sharif Hamza built a large version of the bottle with mirror facets. He placed supermodel Shannan Click within the bottle and dressed her in midnight blue creation. The shoot resulted in one of the most fashionable campaigns Absolut has ever made.

Gareth Pugh’s reflection of fashion is showcased through a unique handmade bottle collar, which sits perfectly on the bottle. Inspired by the “Stealth Bomber” arms from his Spring/Summer 2007 show, Pugh’s bottle collar enhances the silhouette of Absolut Mode, while simultaneously capturing the essence of Pugh’s impressive work.

A special release of Absolut, combining a litre of their crisp Swedish vodka with a limited edition bottle. The bottle is faceted to reflect light and the label is made out of fabric, in honour of the fashion industry.

Release: 2011

Bottles Produced: 2,700,000