1 Oktober, 2025

Where Fashion Meets Flavor

Julian Daynov with the new Johnnie Walker Black Ruby.

Fashion institution Julian Daynov, is not an unknown at the intersection of fashion, lifestyle, and art, working as a Fashion Director, curator, and brand advisor. With a sharp eye for zeitgeist aesthetics and expertise in trend analysis, brand storytelling and curation, he has collaborated with several global brands and retailers to shape forward-thinking concepts. Known for his innovative approach to fashion and his curatorial work on projects like NEUDEUTSCH and MATERIAL, Julian Daynov recently teamed up with the world’s number one Scotch whisky brand, Johnnie Walker, for the launch of the newest expression, Black Ruby.

For the “Get Ruby With Me” campaign, Daynov created three looks for Creators Ray La, Tina Haase, and Anja Nikoloff, each designed to highlight their individual personalities while complementing the versatile Johnnie Walker Black Ruby cocktails. Together with three bartenders, the campaign introduced three unique cocktails, each representing a different style, mirroring the personalized fashion Daynov crafted for each of them.
Ray’s cool and laid-back style is perfectly paired with the Creative Drink: Blush and Bloom, created by Bartender Laura Krägeloh. This cocktail, with its delicate floral aromas and a refreshing twist, reflects Ray’s effortless vibe, bringing a unique twist to the overall campaign.
Elegance shines through Tina, whose sophisticated look beautifully aligns with Chloé Merz’s Classy Drink: Ruby Rhapsody. With its vibrant tanginess and a balanced sweetness, it embodies the refined charm Tina exudes, enhancing her graceful presence in the campaign.
Anja, with her artistic flair, brings a creative energy to the project, making her the perfect match for the Extraordinary Drink: Velvet Ember, crafted by bartender Dimitris Skafidas. Velvet Ember combines the richness of whiskey with hints of zest and creaminess, mirroring Anja’s bold, unique, and artistic spirit. y embodies coolness, styled to complement the Creative Drink: Blush and Bloom, crafted by Bartender Laura Krägeloh. The Creator Tina represents elegance and her look harmonized with Chloé Merz’s Classy Drink: Ruby Rhapsody. Anja brings an artsy flair to the project and matches with the bartender Dimitris Skafidas’s Extraordinary Drink: Velvet Ember.

The Johnnie Walker Black Ruby is a sweeter and smoother addition to the classic Black Label range, which blends honeyed notes with fruit flavors, making it ideal for twists on classic cocktails, like the Black Ruby Sour.

Julian Daynov emphasizes the importance of adapting style to the individuals and showing that fashion is not just about clothing, it’s about personality. By pairing these looks with the distinctive Johnnie Walker Black Ruby cocktails, the campaign demonstrates how both style and flavor can create unique and memorable experiences.

SLEEK When putting a look together, how do you decide whether it should feel daring and expressive or more subtle and refined?

Julian Daynov It’s always about balance and intuition. Some personalities call for volume, drama, and a certain unapologetic boldness – and in those cases, a daring, expressive look feels like the only natural choice. Others radiate a quiet strength, a kind of understated elegance that works best when refined details whisper rather than shout. For me, it’s never a formula, but more of an energy check: does the look amplify the person’s aura, or does it drown it? Style should never disguise; it should illuminate. Whether daring or subtle, the ultimate goal is to make the individuality shine with clarity and effortless confidence.

S For this campaign, you collaborated with various personalities. What excited you most about bringing their unique styles together under one creative vision?

JD What thrilled me most was the alchemy of contrasts – seeing how radically different energies, aesthetics, and narratives can still flow into one cohesive universe. Each personality brought their own codes of style, their own rhythms, their own rituals.

Ray, for instance is drawn heavily towards urban coolness – his looks carry a casual creative edge with a solid streetwear foundation so I tried to keep his vibe as authentic as possible.

Tina has a strong, distinctive posh and effortless chic singnature style.. She feels at home in elegant minimalism, quiet confidence, refined timeless combinations  and radiant class, very noble.  Every piece is gracefully curated – so this is why i tried to underline in the looks we put together.

Anja is all about incredibly well styled natives of a Gen Z fashionista living her love-affair with Sportswear, bridging it with loose Boyfriend-inspired elements and spicing it up with luxury accessories and rather elegant shoes.

My role was to weave these into a collective language that still allowed everyone’s individuality to breathe.

The beauty lies in the tension: sharp next to soft, minimal next to extravagant, classic next to experimental. When orchestrated right, those contrasts don’t clash – they elevate one another. That’s what excites me: creating a vision that feels plural yet unified, contemporary yet timeless, like a cocktail of identities blended into something unexpectedly magnetic.

S Johnnie Walker Black Ruby is being introduced alongside three cocktails, each with a distinct character. How did you translate these different taste profiles into fashion looks?

JD I imagined each Johnnie Walker Black Ruby Cocktail as a character stepping into the room — with a mood, a texture, and a silhouette of its own. The smokier, more intense profile translated into sharp tailoring, darker tones, and statement accessories — a look that commands presence, like the Velvet Ember. The brighter, more playful mix became fluid shapes, tactile fabrics, and pops of color —a visual echo of effervescence, embodied in the Blush and Bloom. The Ruby Rhapsody calls for subtle contrasts and an elegance that reveals itself slowly, like the finish of a fine sip.

It was about embodying the taste through fabric and form, so that when you see the look, you almost anticipate the flavor. In the end, fashion and cocktails share the same DNA — both are about mood, experience, and the art of leaving an unforgettable impression.

S The campaign merges fashion and mixology in a unique way. How do you see the connection between personal style and the experience of enjoying a crafted cocktail?

JD You know what, to me both are somehow rituals of self-expression. The way you dress and the way you choose — and savor — a cocktail say something about who you are, how you feel in that moment, and the energy you want to radiate and attract. Style isn’t just about clothes, and cocktails aren’t just about taste — they’re both about atmosphere, confidence, and the subtle art of storytelling.

A crafted cocktail like the Ruby Rhapsody, much like a well-considered look, is layered, intentional, and sensorial. The details matter: the cut of a jacket, the garnish on the glass, the finish of the fabric, the finish of the drink. When they align, they create a complete experience — one that feels elevated, effortless, and distinctly personal.

By pairing fashion with flavor, the campaign shows that style is about highlighting individuality and dressing each personality in a way that amplifies their unique energy. Just as Julian Daynov carefully tailored each look to reflect the distinct character of Ray, Tina, und Anja, Johnnie Walker Black Ruby offers a whisky experience that can elevate any cocktail.