British American Tobacco makes an appearance at Berlin Fashion Week

British American Tobacco (BAT) announces a second collaboration between its vaping brand Vuse and Berlin-based designer Marina Hoermanseder, to be presented at Berlin Fashion Week in early July 2026. Beyond the product being sold, a case for a vaping device, this communication campaign is part of a broader strategy by tobacco manufacturers to associate their nicotine products with public figures and positive imagery, a practice that has already led to BAT being convicted in court in France.

A collaboration with the fashion world presented by the manufacturer as a design approach

According to the press release issued by BAT Germany[1], The Vuse brand has renewed its partnership with designer Marina Hoermanseder, one year after their initial collaboration. The product resulting from this collaboration is a case designed specifically for the Vuse Ultra vaping device and its "Ultra Smart Pods." It was unveiled on July 3, 2026, during the designer's Spring/Summer 2027 fashion show, held alongside Berlin Fashion Week.

This accessory will be available from October 2026, at a suggested retail price of €29, in three colors that the manufacturer describes as inspired by aromas from its product line: "True Blueberry," "Strawberry Fuchsia," and "Elegant Tobacco." Its distribution will be limited to the brand's website, selected points of sale in shopping centers, and reserved for members of a loyalty program called "Vuse Loyalty Club." The press release specifies that this initiative is part of a broader communication campaign by the brand, structured around the concepts of individual expression and lifestyle.

The manufacturer presents this collaboration as stemming from the meeting of creative requirements and artisanal know-how, while the designer explains her interest in translating aromas and individual perception into design objects.

A promotional method already sanctioned by the courts in France

This operation is part of a method long used by tobacco and vaping manufacturers, which consists of associating their products with recognized personalities, creative or cultural universes and prestigious events (fashion, music, sport), in order to build around devices containing nicotine an attractive and modern image, dissociated from the public health issues associated with them.

This type of collaboration is part of a marketing strategy that aims to transform vaping devices into full-fledged fashion and lifestyle items, on par with clothing accessories or leather goods. By offering them in colors that match flavors, associating them with a campaign built around individual expression, and initially restricting distribution to a circle of loyal members, the brand seeks to integrate its product into the daily lives and consumption habits of its target audience, beyond its mere function as a device containing nicotine. This form of communication contributes, on the one hand, to a normalization of nicotine use, presenting it as an ordinary practice detached from its health implications. On the other hand, this practice is promotional in nature, encouraging the consumption of these products.

In France, a similar promotional strategy for the Vuse brand (then marketed under the name "Vype"), relying in particular on influencers, public figures, and partnerships at sporting and festive events, led the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) to take legal action against BAT France (BATF). October 7, 2021[2], The Versailles Court of Appeal upheld the unlawful nature of several promotional materials disseminated by the manufacturer, finding them to be a clear violation of the ban on all advertising for vaping products as stipulated in the Public Health Code. The court also validated the admissibility of the action brought by the CNCT (National Committee Against Tobacco) and reiterated that this ban applies regardless of any debate on the comparative harmfulness of these products.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Berlin Fashion Week - View and Marina Hoermanseder vereinen Functionalität and Handwerkskunst in einer exclusive Design collaboration, PR Newswire, published July 7, 2026, accessed the same day

[2] Press release, The court confirms the illegal nature of the vaping advertisements by the manufacturer British American Tobacco., CNCT, published on October 12, 2021, accessed on July 8, 2026