STYLE Edit: Hermès world tour spotlights artisans’ flair for upcycling
Creations made of discarded items at petit h workshop feature in pop-up shop at the brand’s Landmark Prince’s store in Hong Kong from November 17
Petit h by Hermès combines a team of artisans, leftover materials and craftsmanship of Hermès, the French high fashion luxury goods manufacturer, all under one roof.
The climax of this concentrated creativity is a triumphant world tour, which showcases the transformative value of these once-unloved materials.
At the Landmark Prince’s store in Central, Hong Kong, the public is invited to view pieces conceived at the petit h workshop in Paris.
The unorthodox application of exotic materials takes centre stage, such as a jewellery chest made with crocodile skin and silk, or a whimsical elephant pouffe made from colourful patched leather.
Once just leftovers in the workshops of Hermès, the materials have been resurrected and given an eccentric new raison d'être.
Earlier this year, Godefroy de Virieu took up the reins as creative director of petit h, succeeding founder Pascale Mussard.
However, the principles of innovation and metamorphosis still remain at the forefront of the petit h project.
The “creative research laboratory”, as the petit h workshop is sometimes referred to, commissions work by artisans, including saddler-leather workers, goldsmiths and glassmakers, as well as designers and artists from all walks of life.
