Hermès Opens Massive London Maison with Deep References to British History
The new store on London’s Bond Street has a new wow factor: local heritage
“Our grandfather always called Hermès the most British of French brands,” says Axel Dumas, a sixth-generation member of the founding family and the house’s CEO since 2013, as the new Hermès maison opens on London’s Bond Street. “He always referred to the elegance and know-how of British equestrian culture. So it’s quite intimidating for us to be here in London, paying homage to the country we admire so much.”
Of course, flattery will get you everywhere. But no words can quite prepare the visitor for the experience within. The new Hermés store is simply huge—its famous leather wares, silks, jewelry, fashion, and furniture now spreading across 55 rooms, over five floors, and across a combination of six buildings that date from 1769. At nearly 20,000 square feet, it’s as if a very grand home had been turned into a highly detailed department store.
“Really it’s a village,” continues Dumas, “with all these buildings surrounding a courtyard.” Indeed, the ground floor was once an open space, and is now artfully capped with a steel and glass roof by Lord Norman Foster, whose firm also designed the sweeping limestone staircase. On its floor, the house’s trademark Faubourg mosaic pattern is picked out in muted shades of ivory and gray.
Nothing, though, can eclipse the buildings’ various histories. On the first floor, the fine and piece unique jewelry is now on display in the former apartments of English actor Henry Irving, whose career spanned the 19th century, and who lived here from 1872 to 1899. On the second floor is an original 19th-century mosaic floor—perfectly restored—in colored marble and pietra dura that has inspired the color palette of soft yellows, pinks, and grays flowing through every space. In rooms overlooking Albemarle Street, Florence Nightingale carried out much of her research. An original Victorian lift, with handsome black and gilded cast iron gates, has been brought back to life by the only remaining Victorian lift mechanic in the UK.
Hermes’s forever architects, RDAI, led by Denis Montel, have risen to the challenge of the multiple rooms and themes (Hermès encompasses 16 metiers), employing many British craftspeople along the way. The illustrator Katie Scott, for example, has created an exuberant floral wallpaper for the ground-floor perfume rooms, with its blooms also appearing on a new version of the Bouquet Finale silk scarf. Just 15 of these have been specially beaded by artisans in India exclusively for sale in London. (In the women’s fashion rooms, a London-only edition of this season’s Pastel Punk collection.)
In the equestrian rooms, walls are lined with marquetry created from both straw and horsehair, while for the men’s department, the choice is a deep blue textured wall covering made especially for Hermès in Lancashire, according to a technique first developed in the Victorian era. To enhance the club-like atmosphere, the rooms also boast a circular jukebox decorated with acid-colored neon squiggles. (The DJ decks are two floors above and clad in perfect tan calfskin.) One private salon has a cushiony pale salmon carpet and ceramic tables, with silk-lined walls in a yellow and beige Art Deco design; another has a screen in fine stone marquetry in yellow and grey and warm wooden furniture.
Art is everywhere—the family’s collection is expansive, at around 550 artworks. “But everything is for a reason,” says Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the company’s artistic director. “It’s to bring spirit and life to the building.” Some, fine 18th-century hunting paintings, for example, are what you might expect; others, including several images by the famous photographer Lee Miller, are a wonderful surprise. In fact, Emile Dumas, who died in 1951, was an inveterate collector, known to disappear after lunch and return with a new acquisition. On the top floor is an apartment dedicated to his memory, with vitrines filled with objets d’art.
Also on high, and with an exquisite view down Bond Street, is Alexandra Cappe, the queen of repairs, her studio filled with reels of brilliantly colored cottons and pots of creamy dyes. She has moved her from more cramped quarters in the previous store next door to this deluxe room with a view. “I repaired 700 bags last year,” she says. “Mostly Birkins, Kellys, and Constances. London is a great place for me to work because so many people here have wonderful vintage bags.”
As Dumas points out, people have waited for those bags for quite a while. “Some of you have been very patient,” he laughs. “But here at Hermès, we are very slow. It’s because we put a lot of heart into everything, a lot of creativity.” Of course, good things come to those who wait—a mega-maison among them.