Once again, La Pelota in Milan was transformed into a stunning spectacle for Hermès, where the brand's equestrian roots, and a penchant for natural materials, stole the show at this year’s Milan Design Week.
Staying true to your roots for nearly two centuries is no small feat, but Hermès does it with style and class by making it a part of its DNA. For this year's pilgrimage, Hermès presented a theatrical set-up at La Pelota that celebrated its harness-making heritage, and materiality of earth.
A visit to the installation felt like strutting down a fashion runway. Shaded in a backdrop of sheer black, the set-up was built around a cross-shaped bridge that called to mind jockey silks, inviting visitors to “step out of time – while keeping your feet on the ground”, as the press note suggested.
On the ground was a patchwork of earthy materials sourced from across Italy – bricks, stones, wood, sand, and compacted earth – assembled on-site into traditional Italian flooring motifs. It was all about precision, craftsmanship, and an acute eye for detail that has threaded through Hermes’ centuries of creations.
Behind the stage was a pass to the brand’s equestrian legacy threaded from past to present, where vintage items were displayed alongside highlights of its latest collections.
References of its harness-making heritage can be found throughout Hermès’ portfolio, though not intentionally. For instance, the new Diapason d’Hermès lounge chair, combining contrasting materials of leather and hammered aluminium, echoes to that of the Timoure necklace from 2002; while the Voltige d’Hermès lamps, featuring slender stems in braided two-tone leather, shared the same references to that of a 1980s hunting whip displayed side by side.
Also in pairs were the colourful Derby Basket crafted from leather and a 1970s bracelet; the Amalthee Myriade box featuring myriad lines and dots, and embroidered gloves from the 1950s; the new Tartan Dye bed blankets of fold-dyed cashmere, and a Hippique bedspread that flaunted equestrian motifs, placed next to a jockey’s jersey in silk satin from the 1950s. The list went on.
Hippique bedspread, presented in tandem with the jockey’s jersey in silk, 1960s
The new collection taps into the rich symbols of the house’s heritage, with its iconic jockey silks and geometric motifs inspiring a new line of leather goods and textiles. Together, they echo the brands commitment to melding supreme craftsmanship with its distinctive, original spirit.
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Derby basket, presented in tandem with the leather bracelet in box calfskin lined with Chamonix, 1970
Voltige d’Hermès lamp, presented in tandem with the hunting whip with a hook in deer antler, a ferrule in silver and a braided cowhide mount, 1980s Hermès Conservatoire of Creations
Derby buckets, presented in tandem with the Mangeoire bag in green box calfskin, 1949 Hermès Conservatoire of Creations
Diapason d’Hermès lounge chair, presented in tandem with the Timoure necklace in hammered silver, 2002 Hermès Conservatoire of Creations
Pippa folding stool, presented in tandem with 1930s cigarette case
Altitude throw, presented in tandem with the braided whip in Maroquin leather on a fibre rod, 1998
