The Albany Gazette - Stagwell Agencies Assembly and MONO Team Up with Hypebeast to Bring Agave Leather to the Runway for Lunazul Tequila - A New York Fashion Week First

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 15, 2026 / Assembly, the global omnichannel media agency for award-winning tequila Lunazul, and MONO, Lunazul's creative agency of record, today announced Once in a Lunazul, a new campaign with fashion label Luar built around agave leather. In collaboration with editorial partner Hypebeast, Luar debuted the collection during its New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer runway show.

Once in a Lunazul launches as brands increasingly look to authentically connect with target audiences and develop new and exciting ways to show up in the zeitgeist. After MONO identified agave leather as the creative thread linking tequila and fashion, Assembly developed a cultural platform that maximized visibility and brand value for Lunazul and its parent company, Heaven Hill Brands. Assembly then engaged Hypebeast, whose influence across fashion, design and contemporary culture helped bring Luar Creative Director Raul Lopez into the project to design the collection.

"We knew there was something compelling in turning the material at the heart of Lunazul into an entirely new medium for the brand - a genuine first," said Juliana Rocha, Content Director at Assembly. "From there, we wanted to see how far we could take the idea. Bringing in Hypebeast and Luar gave us the cultural platform and fashion perspective to make it real, putting agave leather on the New York Fashion Week runway for the first time. The media value Once in a Lunazul generates will far outspend what a campaign this size would normally cost - proof of what happens when you bring the right collaborators around a strong idea."

Lunazul, one of the fastest growing tequila brands in the U.S., was navigating an increasingly competitive and crowded market. While sales climbed and distribution expanded, the brand saw an opportunity to build greater consumer awareness. Assembly and MONO knew the opportunity lay in creating cultural value beyond traditional advertising, staying rooted in what's authentic to the brand. In collaboration with Lunazul's craftsman in Mexico, the team concluded that agave was the answer. Using agave leather made from fibers left behind during tequila production, the Luar team fused eclectic New York design perspective with Mexican distilling heritage to create a capsule collection of jackets, pants, hats, and bags.

"Lunazul has always believed great tequila begins with deep respect for the agave plant," said Chris Dunn, Associate Vice President at Heaven Hill Brands. "This collaboration gives new life to the material at the heart of our tequila in a way that feels fresh, expressive and true to our heritage. Bringing together fashion and spirits lets us invite people to experience Lunazul beyond the bottle, while honoring the craft and tradition that has defined us for 250 years.

To amplify the moment beyond the runway, Hypebeast will document and share the story across its fashion, design, and culture platforms. Through documentary storytelling, editorial coverage, and social content, audiences will follow the creative journey, from the agave fields of Jalisco to the design studio and ultimately the runway.

"Partnerships like this are exactly why Hypebeast exists at the intersection of culture and commerce," said Paul Heavener, Global Editorial Director at Hypebeast. "Assembly came to us with a genuinely fresh idea, and our network was able to turn it into a hallmark moment at a time where so many of the world's eyeballs look to New York Fashion Week. That's a testament to what happens when agencies build ideas instead of just placing media."

To view the collection lookbook, visit here.

Media Contact:
Ali Shapiro
[email protected]

About Assembly
Assembly is a global omnichannel agency built for brands that want a more modern approach to building brands that perform. Backed by the Stagwell network, we are a literal assembly of data, talent, and technology built to unlock smarter, faster, and better-performing outcomes from the bottom up, not the top down. Curious, collaborative, and driven by change, we are an agency of builders who believe the better the experience, the better the brand performance. We don't see brand and performance as an either/or. For us, it's always both. The +\ symbol in our logo, known as the ORAD, represents this mindset. It's a mark of how we think, how we build, and how we deliver results across the full funnel. Assembly's foundation is built on three core elements: our purpose-built STAGE Experience Engine, the strategic product it powers - Brand Performance Planning (BPP) - and an organizational design built for speed, depth, and the demands of modern marketing. Together, they enable us to build better brand experiences that reimagine how brands connect, engage, and grow across data, tech, media, creative, and commerce. With over 3,000 experts in 44 offices worldwide, Assembly delivers full-funnel solutions that help the world's most ambitious brands perform. Learn more at assemblyglobal.com.

About MONO

MONO is a design-driven creative advertising agency headquartered in Minneapolis, built on the belief that simple always wins. With a unique blend of strategy, creativity, and execution, MONO helps brands solve complex business problems and connect with consumers in powerful, efficient ways. The agency has deep expertise across retail, spirits, CPG, healthcare, and tech, and has worked with clients including Heaven Hill, BOOMCHICKAPOP, Walmart, Target, Macy's, Bumble, Molson Coors, Google, Apple, and the American Red Cross. MONO is part of Stagwell Inc. (NASDAQ:STGW). For more information, visit www.mono-1.com.

SOURCE: Assembly

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(J.Torres--TAG)