The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition lands in GTR exclusively from 1 July and will then roll out in more than 40 markets from October.

ON LOCATION: Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail (GTR) revealed the details of the travel-retail-first roll-out of the new Absolut Haring Artist-Edition at a special event in London on 11 June, with TRBusiness in attendance.

The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition – which celebrates the legacy of the influential American pop artist Keith Haring (1958-1990) – hits global travel retail from today (1 July, 2025), before landing in more than 40 markets from October, including Germany, the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, China, Italy and Poland, for a limited time only.

To kick-start proceedings, a pop-up vending machine at Gatwick Airport is giving travellers the chance to get their hands on exclusive Absolut Haring merch, and to be among the first to purchase the specially designed bottles.

There will also be 3D billboards making a splash at major transit hubs such as Sydney and Heathrow to create a seamless journey throughout the travel experience.

Additionally, Absolut is teaming up with Uber at Heathrow for an Add-to-Wallet campaign, giving travellers an exclusive gift voucher while en route to the airport that can be used towards their bottle purchase when they arrive.

L-R: Deb Dasgupta, VP Global Marketing, Absolut Vodka and Rae Gibson, Brand Director – Power Brands and Emerging Categories at Pernod Ricard GTR.

“Absolut has been so well known for their cultural collaborations and their end-of-year releases to the point that so many people have become avid collectors of their end-of-year editions,” Rae Gibson, Brand Director – Power Brands and Emerging Categories at Pernod Ricard GTR, told TRBusiness when speaking one-on-one.

“Last year we launched Absolut Warhol and it was a real step-change for the end-of-years in travel retail as we were able to get a two-month exclusivity period for all of travel retail from 1 July [2024]. We saw such amazing results from that.

“[Our] customers were really excited about the fact that they were getting to launch this first to their shoppers and created this amazing sense of urgency and excitement for shoppers because it was the only place they could purchase it.

“Building on that success, we have been very lucky that the Absolut team have once again agreed to give us that three-month exclusivity period to launch the next iteration which is Absolut Haring.

“Heinemann does have a very short two-week pre-launch window in June and then 1 July it goes globally wide in travel retail only. And then you will see domestic markets staring starting to come onboard in October.

“Absolut is one of those brands that has really done such an excellent job of creating relevancy with the people who grew up with it but also bringing in that new generation – and the collaborations that they have done are absolutely timeless. So our expectation is yet you will still get that collector coming in to pick it up, but I absolutely expect it will be recruiting new people into the brand as well. The displays they have created have amazing ‘stand-out’ and we are hoping to be able to drive that footfall of the Gen Z which we are all chasing now in travel retail.”

The refreshed Haring artwork on the bottle features the artist’s signature bold lines, electric colours and dancing figures, with a ‘fresh energy for a new era’.

At it’s core, the Absolut Haring Artist-Edition champions the belief that art is for everybody, inspired by Haring’s mission to take art off the museum walls and into real life.

It’s not the first time the brand has collaborated with Haring – the artist first painted the bottle nearly four decades ago on the recommendation of his friend Andy Warhol.

Back then, Haring created four striking works, each placing the bottle’s silhouette centre stage and the chosen Absolut Haring piece became a 1986 Absolut campaign classic.

This latest edition taps into the spirit of that original 80s artwork, infusing it with a fresh energy for a new era and, as referenced by Gibson, a new generation.

To coincide with the launch, Absolut has created the Absolut Haring Fizz [pictured left], a signature cocktail that nods to the artist’s globe-trotting adventures across Asia and his deep love for New York. It features crisp apple, zesty orange, toasted sesame, and a kick of ginger, with its golden yellow hue mirroring the original artwork.

Around the neck is a hand-drawn take on the Absolut medallion – featuring founder L.O. Smith – adding a personal touch from the artist himself.

The match between Absolut and Haring fits in many ways as Deb Dasgupta, VP Global Marketing, Absolut Vodka explained: “Absolut has always believed that art should be open, joyful, and for everyone.

“Keith Haring’s work radiated that belief – full of energy, colour, and hope.”

The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition is rooted in the belief that art is for everybody, inspired by Keith Haring’s mission to take art off the museum walls and into real life. This latest collaboration radiates energy, with the artist’s signature red lines and a crowd of dancing figures set against a bold yellow canvas, offset by the blue of the Absolut logo.

On the challenge of delivering a limited edition bottle in a different way, following the last year’s Absolut Warhol release, Dasgupta said: “This year it was about translating Haring’s art on the bottle and we went with a very different technique, which is debossing on the glass and you literally see the joyful figures dancing with joy – you can feel the rhythm of their dance.

“There is so much positivity, optimism – like Haring’s art – it’s bold, it’s vibrant it’s got that pulsating energy with the red and blue colours.

“For us, the limited edition is not just a bottle, it’s a story wrapped on context and emotion and we ensure that when we are working there is that authenticity around that.

“There is a lot of work that has gone behind this working with the Keith Haring Foundation and Artestar [the global licensing and creative agency representing the Keith Haring Studio] – huge shout out to them for their partnership and for their trust in us to be able to bring to life his legacy that’s true to him and relevant in today’s culture.”

Pernod Ricard GTR describes the end-of-yearedition as ‘a piece of 3D kinetic art’.

Dasgupta describes the project as a “love letter” to today’s youth culture.

“Our mission is to keep Keith Haring’s spirit alive by continuing to expand access to his art and the important messages within it,” said David Stark, Founder and CEO, Artestar.

“This project with Absolut revives a moment that meant so much to Keith – not just creatively, but symbolically. It’s a wonderful tribute that allows anyone to engage with this special story that started back in 1986.”

 A joyful moment for GTR

The exclusive window for the Absolut Haring Artist-Edition to be sold in GTR demonstrates the key role of the channel in orchestrating a stand-out launch.

“I really do think that travel retail is the perfect launchpad for Absolut Haring – the reason being that travel retail really does represent this unique blend of commercial impact and brand storytelling,” said Gibson.

“If you think about airports specifically they are very much a premium, high visibility environment where travellers are already in this discovery mindset as they enter the airport – they are already open to exploring something new, exclusive and meaningful and I truly believe that this channel also gives us the room to be able to create some unique immersive experience and to partner with our retailers to create some bespoke activation helping us to bring the collaboration to life in a way that is bold and memorable.”

TRBusiness Managing Editor Faye Bartle (third from left), with fellow travel retail trade editors at the London launch event.

Through project such as this, PR GTR aims to inject an element of joy back into the travel experience said Gibson.

This has given rise to assets that ‘pop’ in the environment with lots of in-store activation such as the vending machine at Gatwick, which gives those who purchase a bottle a code to redeem for a choice of one of two pieces of Haring merchandise.

The desire to drive relevance for shoppers is key to this.

When asked by TRBusiness about GTR allocations and pricing, it was confirmed that there is parity on price with Absolut Original in the channel and the allocation is reflective of GTR’s share of the business.

The artist-edition bottle is said to champion creativity as a unifying force, like Haring did through his art on the streets and subways of 1980s New York.

The Gatwick vending machine merchandise will also be available in some domestic markets.

“This is a joyful moment for global travel retail,” commented. Liya Zhang, VP Global Marketing at Pernod Ricard GTR.

“Following the incredible reception of the Absolut Warhol limited-edition last year, we’re thrilled to now celebrate Keith Haring, a visionary whose work resonates deeply with today’s travellers.

“The energy and colour of the bottle speaks to a new generation looking for creativity in every moment, and inspiration in every journey. As Haring said, art is for everybody.”

The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition is available in 1-litre, 700ml and 750ml sizes.

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