Leather and silk
By Gan Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-12 09:56
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Gan Tian reviews the current Hermes exhibition of Leather Forever in Shanghai.
Hermes' signature saddle commands pride of place in the center of the hall surrounded by Haut a Courroies, Bolide and Polochon bags while a forest of plaster hands reaching out from the floor supports more Kelly and Birkin bags.
The French luxury brand has just launched the exhibition Leather Forever in Huaihai Lu, Shanghai, an event curated by Olivier Saillard, director of the Musee Galliera, the Paris municipal museum of fashion.
The Mallette travel bags, canvas bags, picnic baskets and tie cases are all elegantly displayed, emphasizing the quality of leather and the finest handwork.
"This exhibition is all about leather, and leather is the foundation of the House of Hermes," says Patrick Albaladejo, the label's executive vice-president.
The brand's artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas says: "Our house will never claim to have fully mastered leather, but it will always take the greatest pride in having studied its lessons so thoroughly."
Leather Forever comes two years after another important exhibition which Hermes presented in Shanghai and Beijing that was dedicated to silk, the other signature material for Hermes, used for its famous scarves.
Hermes chose silk as its first theme because China is well-known for its silk and can empathize with its production. Hermes staffers felt they had a lot to share culturally with China, Albaladejo says. The leather exhibition was mooted as more and more Chinese wanted to get to know more about Hermes.
Unlike the silk exhibition that was simultaneously presented in Italy, Taiwan and India, Leather Forever premiered in Shanghai
"We are creating a new exhibition for Shanghai because this city, in 2010, is very much under the spotlight," Albaladejo says. "China is an extremely dynamic market for us."
Leather Forever will run until the end of October, and will then go on to show in the United Kingdom and Italy next year.