Milan Design Week 2024 was the stage for numerous launches, among them the new collections from Hermès, along with pieces from its heritage. This combination plays with temporal ambiguity, demonstrating that Hermès objects are unaffected by time or fleeting trends. Following a path that evokes our relationship with the world around us, the thorough observation of raw materials — brick, stone, slate, wood, and compacted earth — led the maison to create a series of objects and furniture pieces that confirm the mastery of its artisans and its skillful selection of the finest materials.
A powerful symbol of the house’s cultural heritage, the jockey silk, with colorful geometric patterns, serves as an inspiration for leather and textile items. Buckets, baskets, and centerpieces in leather were created by highly skilled craftsmen and experts in leatherworking and saddle making. The artisanal virtuosity is also visible in the subtly toned and gradient effect blankets and in the large cashmere quilts, in new sizes, enhanced by graphic lines, dyed, custom-made, or quilted and embroidered.
1. Voltige d’Hermès Lamp
Reins, whips, and jumping poles… This new line of lamps has a clearly equestrian identity, with a slender stem in two-tone braided leather, a linen shade with leather trimming, and a patinated base with a bronze finish. Understated and unique, it plays with textures, materials, and colors.
2. Derby Basket
For the first time, the craftsmanship of saddlery and leatherwork was used to create a line of objects. The blanket baskets, buckets, and centerpieces are entirely made of leather. The material is used here to explore construction, scale, color, and geometry. The colored leather strips on both sides, perforated and hand-sewn, are coiled to form a basket, while the centerpieces, in leather marquetry, feature graphic patterns. All the skill of the house’s artisans is utilized to transform flexible leather into solid objects.
3. Tressages Équestres Dinnerware
A symbol of the intimate connection between horse and rider, the twenty-seven pieces of this new dinnerware set represent the braiding and weaving of harnesses. The kaolin white of the porcelain highlights Virginie Jamin’s airy and textured designs, with natural leather laces and cotton ribbons, accented by strokes of mint green, lemon yellow, or petrol blue.
