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
