Thursday’s Wall Street Journal had a piece about Petit h, the project of Hermès in which artisans working at their factory take left-over scraps and pieces and make new items. This is a little dog that my friend Coulda Shoulda Woulda sent me from London earlier in the winter. So cute. Instead of throwing these otherwise valuables away, Hermès is doing the ultimate recycling project.
The standards at Hermès are so stringent that if even one stitch is out of place, one thread is missing or one scratch is showing, the piece will not be sold. The project was started by Pascale Mussard, a member of the family which owns Hermès, who couldn’t stand seeing these scraps get tossed. She started “liberating” them and eventually found an artist who would work with the pieces.
She approached her family about the project after there was some inventory, and they agreed to move forward with the project. Thus, Petit h was born.
Just because the pieces are made with rejects and leftovers, doesn’t mean they’re inexpensive. Each piece is a work of art and one-of-a-kind. Each piece must meet the company’s exacting standards. Petit h items are only sold at the Hermès store in Paris's St. Germain, but for two weeks in June there will be a pop-up shop in Southern California, as there was in January in London.
Petit h enables the company to brag about their recycling, but also to boast about the artists they’re employing while doing so.
On another note, it’s such fun to browse the Hermès website, especially the Les Ailes de Hermès section of the site. There are always gorgeous photographs,
and wonderful concepts,
as well as their signature drawings with an Hermès product cleverly placed – as in the anchor chain bracelet.
If you google Petit h and the WSJ, you can read the article, otherwise it’s behind a paywall, and I don’t know if my link will work.
That's so cute the way you describe Hermes scraping the bottom of the barrel for every last dime as "the ultimate recycling project."
ReplyDeleteIf you read the article, it doesn't seem like that was the motivation.
DeleteThat's the way I picture Connor as a redhead! Some of the line is really clever and some not so much but I like it when creativity comes out of some sort of restriction. Better than all those things ending up in a tip tho I would go dumpster diving around bond street if they threw stuff out there!
ReplyDeleteHe's not a pale white lab, he's more like a strawberry blond, with some red in his fur. Thanks again for the great present!
DeleteBravo to Hermes for doing this with their very valuable materials! It is a sad shame how much must go to waste in all of the fashion, design, and accessory houses!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
what a grand idea! thank you for the tip. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteCheck out Martha Stewart blog today all Hermes fall and winter show
ReplyDeleteMy friend went into the Hermes factory in Nontron and asked if she could buy their seconds. She was quite firmly told 'Madame, Hermes do not have seconds..'.
ReplyDeleteThose illustrations with ferns and blossoms, so witty! Wish I could invent things like that. Will look out for Petit h projects, how fascinating!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! You always see the best things !!!
ReplyDelete