Absolut Vodka Bag

Packaging Manufacturer: GPA Luxury
Location: United Kingdom
Project Type: Produced
Client: Absolut Vodka
Product Launch Location: Global
Packaging Contents: Vodka
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Paper, glass

We’re delighted to announce that GPA just won two Luxury Packaging Awards – including Luxury Packaging Supplier for 2019 and Luxury Seasonal Pack for our Absolut bag.

The Luxury Packaging Awards judges said:
“A really nice simple and impactful design with good environmental credentials and collectability. Instantly visible as an Absolut brand. This doesn’t look over-packaged and enables Absolut to launch a limited edition format in a really cost-effective, consumer-friendly and environmentally sound way.”

About The Project:
Absolut is one of the most famous brands on the planet, known for its clean tasting vodka and distinctive bottle, which was inspired by an 18th-century Swedish medicine bottle. A recent project saw the launch of some limited edition premium paper bags illustrated with artwork relevant to one of seven cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, Brisbane, Auckland and Dubai.

Absolut invited illustrators from around the globe to submit designs based on the city of their choice. The winning designs were then printed onto the bags, which were sold in the relevant city – wrapped around a bottle of Absolut, of course. Initially, just seven bag designs were selected, but now a total of 37 have been released, with many celebrating annual events such as Chinese New Year.

The GPA Luxury team manufactured a range of sturdy yet flexible paper bags working from designs by Alexandra Wong, Mauro Martins and Daniel Barbosa – to name a few. Each printed bag is held closed at the neck with a silicone bracelet, which is designed to be worn on the wrist as a unique memento once the pack has been opened.

Because these bags can be produced quickly and at a low cost, they’re the perfect medium for special events in cities around the world. They also allow the Absolut team to celebrate special occasions without the need to incur bottle manufacturing or label printing costs. A final benefit is that the bag gives local countries amazing speed to market.