Hermès scarves are as valuable and famous as handbags. This accessory is also called the favourite “adornment” of the Windsor dynasty. Her Majesty the Queen wore scarves since her youth, and it is interesting that on the postage stamp dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth II she is depicted not in a crown, but in a Hermès scarve.
In addition to the Queen, the scarve became a favourite accessory of Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly and a whole galaxy of Hollywood stars, and simply wealthy women who are rarely caught in the camera lenses. Fifty years later, a profession as “manager of private collection of Hermès scarves” appeared. Not paintings, not Scythian, not modern art, but private museums of scarves. And there is no end of work to be done there!
The House of Hermès has never published a single catalogue in the 80 years it has been producing scarves. They have their own museum in Paris, but it is not accessible to ordinary people. So there are a number of “guerrilla” catalogues on the Internet that have been created by enthusiasts who got some insider information. “I often have to work with such archives,”says Aleksandr Tsybin, Co-Founder of the Maison Carré Foundation.
Throughout all these years, the technology of scarve production remains unchanged:
1. All scarves are handmade. The edges are stitched only by proficients – no machine stitching.
2. The best silk is chosen for the scarves. Over time, Hermès bought mulberry silkworm plantations in Brazil and started its own production. It is known that 300 cocoons are needed to weave in to produce one scarve.
3. Scarve collections are always limited and the designs are unique.
Creating prints is not just a simple “managerial discussion”. The head of the company Pierre Dumas personally approve each pattern. The issues related to patterns have precedence ofannual profit and strategic development of the company, as the scarve is top-of-mind.
At one stage, Hermès management decided to look for ideas all over the world.
“Today we keep this tradition alive. Many works are sent to us, we can find an interesting artist from a gallery on the other side of the world. 30-50 artists collaborate with us every year. All of them are of different ages and experience,” says Christine Duvigneau, Director of Hermès Creative Studio.
The work of the artists begins with the announcement of the next theme of the collection. It can be “nature”, “metamorphosis”, etc. Next, the artists send in their sketches and Hermèsselects the best ones. But it is not as easy as it seems, because the main condition of the House is that no matter how the scarve is tied, the main pattern cannot be broken. Another important point: the edges of the print are always asymmetrical, but the asymmetry is not conspicuous. Let us say, if the drawing displays the water world, then in one corner there may be a seashell, and in the other – a jellyfish. This is puzzled over for up to 6 months.
Creation of the scarve takes another year and a half. The thing is that colours and stencils are selected by hand, and one scarve uses up to 40 different shades.
Final stage is quality control, and everything is strict here too.
A few years ago, Hermès created a mobile application Silk Knots, where information about wearing and tying scarves can be found and updated. The peculiarity of a scarve is that if you tie it overnight and untie it in the morning, the “carre” will straighten on its own. OriginalHermès scarves do not need ironing.
Once a year in New York, Toronto, Singapore, Milan and Los Angeles there is a four-day open event called Hermès Carre Club dedicated to silk scarves. Especially for it, artists develop a capsule collection with unique prints. Thus, the products are promoted in a very short time without the help of marketing. The key point of the event is not so much sales as positioning and communication. Hermès tries to balance the image: to show that even a luxury brand can be flexible, human and accessible. This experience of communication forms an emotional connection with clients and helps to win their loyalty.
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