Hermès Heritage is a cycle of touring exhibitions curated by Bruno Gaudichon for Hermès. The exhibits are designed by Laurence Fontaine. The “Rouge H” color exhibit was displayed in front of the Hermès store at The Chanakya, New Delhi, which is where the following images are from.
The objects are a mix of items from the Emile Hermes Collection as well as the Conservatory of Creations and also a few items from the brand’s more recent collections.
It’s a running joke that if Hermès calls me up even to sweep their floors, I’d go. I’ve always loved the brand ethic and their legacy. How they treat and care for their employees : more like family. And of course, the craftsmanship in everything they do. The fact that they’ve been around for so long also speaks to their smarts, which any entrepreneur, including me, would find extremely inspirational.
As with most things, I got there early. I really wanted to photograph the objects before the crowds showed up. I wanted some time alone actually reading about the objects and going through each room.
The exhibit was divided into five rooms.
01. The Original Crimson
02. The Invention of A Deep Red
03. Over The Shoulder, The Arm, or In The Hand
04. Custom Takes Up Reds
05. To Grace The Everyday
If you asked me which my favorite room was, I would be hard-pressed to pick one. I did enjoy the illustrations in Room no. 2 quite a bit. I also loved the velvet cotton bag in Room 03. I fawned over the Evelyn Bag in the same room. The silk satin gown in Room no. 4 and the crocheted fly bonnet ( which was ingeniously lit by Michel Pounoussamy! ).
And then, at least for me, the piece de resistance : the jewellery cabinet in Room no. 5. OMG I so badly wanted to sit on the stool and plan a renaissance style photo shoot. I had to tell myself – loudly in my head – that this was an exhibit and NOT to be touched, let alone getting up on the stool. I did take a selfie in the mirror, but of course.
It was too small an exhibition for my Hermes-greedy eyes. Hopefully there will be more and I cannot wait to go see them in person.
Documentation and conservation of older work is SO important. You don’t have to have the resources of Hermes to do justice to your own work. Even if you’re a photographer working in a digital medium – with no physical objects to preserve – you must, at the very least, document your work diligently. Get a blog! I digress, but this is how to build a brand and a legacy. In my brand building workshops, I always mention Hermes as a brand to follow on Instagram because they have kept up with the world and bring their own eclectic voice to it, instead of blindly doing what everyone else is doing.
CREDITS
Curator : Bruno Gaudichon
Stenographer : Laurence Fontaine
Lighting Design : Michel Pounoussamy
Production : Roland Soetaert
Graphic Design : Cheeri
For previous photo stories and features about Hermes on this blog, see #NAINAxHERMES
For previous photo stories and features about other Luxury Brands on this blog, see #EyesForLuxury
