Sandra‘s Closet

Hermès, a house of objects since 1837, presents its sixteenth métier, Beauty, with its first collection, Rouge Hermès, devoted to the beauty of the lips. The Birkin of the lipsticks so to say…

«We approach this new métier in our own way, and with a great deal of pleasure. Hermès Beauty is part of who we are: a house where everything comes from creation, driven by artisans who seek to accompany the men and women of today with elegance, and with the integrity and au-thenticity that we represent. It is the quintessence of our affection for surprise and wonder, which embraces the object, its design, and the desire to be useful while inspiring dreams.»
Axel Dumas, CEO of Hermès

The fruit of design, research and development work initiated more than five years ago and di-rected by Agnès de Villers, CEO of Hermès Perfume & Beauty, in the spirit of excellence and the integration of know-how that characterises Hermès, Hermès Beauty is a collaborative creation under the aegis of Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director of Hermès.

Pierre Hardy, creative director of Hermès jewellery and Hermès shoes, designed the object. Bali Barret, artistic director of the women’s universe and creative director of women’s silk, contributed her vision of femininity and colour, while Jérôme Touron, creative director of Hermès Beauty, transposed this vision into make-up. Their work on objects, materials, colours and gestures de-veloped freely through shared affinities and connections. Finally, Christine Nagel, Director of Hermès’ olfactory creation, gave this collection its fragrance.

Rouge Hermès lipsticks are Hermès objects in their own right, expressing all of the house’s principles in a small item of make-up. They share the same aesthetic of function as all Hermès objects.

«Our approach to beauty is fundamental. It is to reveal and highlight what is naturally there, with elegance, comfort and pleasure. I like the idea of Hermès as an intimate companion, revealing one’s deepest self. I associate Hermès’ beauty objects with self-fulfilment, with the colour of an individual’s personality,» asserts Pierre-Alexis Dumas.

Created from noble materials – lacquered, brushed and polished metal in black, white or permabrass gold – assembled by hand, the lipsticks are rechargeable and made to last.

As Pierre Hardy explains, «I love the simplicity of pure shapes that colours have the ability to animate. Intuitively, to become timeless, this object had to be able to morph, remain iconic, but stay fluid, be part of a connected sequence, and perpetually recognisable. A constant yet ever-changing object.»

The sensual and fine textures of the sticks deposit colour in a single stroke, with a matt or satin finish reminiscent of the house’s Doblis and Box leathers.

«Materials carry colour. They give it its strength and its subtlety. They give it a particular finish. At Hermès, colours travel. They are reinvented from one material to another,» states Jérôme Touron.

The house’s elegance, spirit and imagination are expressed in 24 hues, a sophisticated selection inspired by the métiers of Silk, with the infinite richness of its colour references (75,000 shades), and Leather (900 shades).

«Like a silk scarf gracing a woman’s neck that creates radiance and reveals her beauty, for Hermès Beauty we wanted to discover or rediscover the emotion of colour as a fundamental feminine trait,» explains Bali Barret. «At Hermès, colour is an irrational, intoxicating passion, a craftsmanship of nuances, an obsession with striking the right tone, and a language all of its own.»

The emblematic collection is accompanied by a twice-yearly limited edition of three colours.
As beautiful inside as they are on the outside, Rouge Hermès objects cultivate sensory appeal and attention to detail, right down to a miniature version of the famous orange box.
Other beauty objects accompany the lipstick and form the basis of a ritual: a lip care balm, Poppy lip shine, a universal lip pencil, and a lip brush in lacquered wood. A collection of leather accessories – cases and a moon mirror – invite movement.

Hermès Beauty will be enhanced with other objects, to be revealed every six months from September 2020, until a complete line of make-up is created.

The Rouge Hermès collection will be available from 4th March 2020 in selected Hermès stores and retail outlets in 35 countries.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hermès

“Comme des Carrés”
Hermès meets Comme des Garçons
February 6th – March 31st 2013

Bali Barret, the artistic director in charge of the Hermès women’s universe, has invited Rei Kawakubo, creator of the Comme des Garçons house, to lend her personal vision to the Hermès scarf. This unexpected encounter has produced two collections, each released in limited edition: one, called ‘Black and White’, will be available exclusively in the Comme des Garçons shops in Paris, New York and Tokyo. The other, named ‘Colour’, will be reserved for the Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo.

Couvertures et tenues de jour N&B

“Rei Kawakubo has stamped her vision on the Hermès scarf. With rigour, precision, energy and salience”, remarks Bali Barret. This work is in keeping with the Comme des Garçons reflections on the relationship between creation and already existing objects. Here, the encounter with the Hermès scarf consists of an application, or a graphic superimposition onto the house designs, thus creating new and unique objects.

Harnais de cour

“I have always deeply respected the tradition and craftsmanship of Hermès. In our project together, rather than wanting to wear the scarves, I was looking forward to the change that would happen when I added something to the beautiful ‘paintings’ of Hermès scarf designs. I think through the addition of abstract images, we have transformed the scarf and created something new”, comments Rei Kawakubo.

Thalassa

“Black and White” collection: Available only in Comme des Garçons shops (Aoyama-Tokyo, New York, Paris). Part of the most radical vein of Comme des Garçons aesthetic work, this line is made up of five scarves printed only in black and white, where the absence of colour allows the pattern to drift towards the abstract.

Giant patchwork Hermès scarf (180x180cm)

“Colour” collection: Reserved for the Dover Street Market stores (London, Tokyo). Made up of six creations, this mischievous, colourful and adaptable collection has a hybrid character, in which the surprising assemblies (rectangle, giant patchwork, gingham and stripes) rewrite the traditional narratives of the scarf.

The ‘Comme des Carrés’ collection will be available:
From 6th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop, Paris
From 7th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop, New York
From 8th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop in Aoyama-Tokyo, and the Dover Street Market Ginza shop.
From 12th February in the Dover Street Market shop, London

Quadriga

The collection will also be for sale online at www.doverstreetmarket.com from 6th February 2013 for the “Colour” collection and from 1st April 2013 for the “Black and White” collection.

I just love all of them!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Hermès