As the Windy City bustled with basketball fans, Moët & Chandon took a moment to acknowledge the next generation of pioneers who continue to move the culture forward. During this year’s NBA’s All-Star Weekend, the French luxury champagne brand fine winery partnered with iconic photographer Jonathan Mannion—who has captured VIBE’s October 2001 cover featuring DMX and many more hip-hop —to spotlight Chicago’s own Don “Don C” Crawley (Just Don, RSVP Gallery) and Kristen Noel Crawley (KNC Beauty).
Held on Sunday (Feb. 16) at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, fellow creatives and friends gathered for a family-style brunch laced with glasses and newly designed bottles of Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé. As four life-sized portraits were presented and unveiled, everyone in the exclusive and star-studded room raised a glass to toast the influential couple and the man behind the lens.
“I’ve been on a journey with Jon. Together we gone to different cities around the United States celebrating people who we believe are pushing the culture forward,” said Jasmin Allen, Vice President of Moët & Chandon U.S. “And today we’re in Chicago, the fantastic city of Chicago, against the backdrop of All-Star Weekend, to celebrate leveraging the lens of the mastermind Jonathan Mannion.
“With Jonathan, we’ve had the opportunity to capture the brilliance of Don C. and Kristen Noel Crawley. Separately, they’ve done phenomenal things in their areas of expertise and for their communities. But I would argue that together they are bar none. Today, we celebrate them in all their glory.”
As the event drew to a close, Mannion took a moment to thank everyone in attendance and talk about the importance of pursuing your dreams, being present for each other as creatives, and broke down the deep meaning of Moet’s latest campaign, “Nectar of the Culture.”
“Nectar is divided into two different sections. There’s “Nec” which means “death”[sic] and “tar” which means “to overcome,” which is really powerful, to overcome death. And I think about what I’ve done with my photography and so many of the people I’ve photographed in this room and shared my gift with in order to then share it with you guys is really, really essential.”
He continued: “We’re mortal. We’re not here forever, so what’s your mark going to be? This is a challenge to really be present for each other and support each other. I just want you to take the time to be together, to embrace each other, to cherish these moments because the moments are essential. I truly am grateful to my partners Moët for believing in me, for believing that my vision was an important one, for bringing this campaign, ‘Nectar of the Culture,’ to life.”
Other creative luminaries in the room included Iman Shumpert, Baron Davis, Yaya DaCosta, Brian Michael Cox, Mano, Nigel Holt, Set Free and more. Scroll down to view more photos from the event.
Moët & Chandon has also released a new, limited-edition collection of custom-designed Moët Nectar Imperial Rosé bottles which pay tribute to the Rose Gold Era and its associated visionaries. As for the “Nectar of the Culture” campaign, Moët and Mannion will be heading to Los Angeles to raise a glass to another pioneer(s).