“Hermès Heritage - Movement” is an exhibition recreating the development history of Hermes - one of the world's leading luxury fashion brands - taking place at the Temple of Literature (Hanoi). Displaying only about 70 artifacts designed, collected and preserved by the company, the exhibition told viewers a vivid and interesting story about a world that is not very familiar to many Vietnamese people.
The Hermès brand was born when the pace of contemporary life was becoming increasingly hectic, people wanted to move more conveniently in a world that was constantly moving and increasingly hectic. Hermès products were created to meet the needs of that life, whether accessories for walking, horseback, car, bicycle, skateboard, plane or any other means of transport, still carrying a light, delicate and intelligent style. The exhibition is a testament to this spirit, through artifacts from the Èmile Hermès collection, the archives, the Hermès Conservatoire of Creations and other contemporary artifacts.
The highlight of the exhibition is the design of five rooms divided into five historical periods of Hermès, advised by Bruno Gaudichon, curator of the Museum of Art and Industry “La Piscine” in Roubaix and exhibition designer Laurence Fontaine.
The first room of the exhibition contains valuable items that symbolize global fame. Among them, the most notable is the first Hermès scarf, designed to resemble the board of an ancient game (Jeu des omnibus et dames blanches).
The second room displays the items that Émile Hermès collected thanks to his curiosity and desire to explore. “The Journey of Émile Hermès” displays exquisite objects from paintings of his favorite childhood rocking horse to portable kettles from the 20th century… All are items that Émile Hermès collected as a rich memoir of “movement”. The artifacts here are the premise for creative ideas in the later designs of the Hermès fashion brand.
The third room is considered an elegant form of movement, containing everything from inventions to advertising images. The main content emphasizes the urgency of bringing comfort and beauty. Located in the contemporary collection, the Hermès archive, the Hermès Creative Archive…, the objects here are all of historical value.
The fourth room shows the constant challenge of inventing tools that combine functionality and pleasure of use: convenient and beautiful like a glass cup in a leather case or a whisky bottle hidden in a camera; the Bolide picnic bag inspired by Hermès' Sac pour l'Auto design from the 1920s. All the objects in the room contain sophistication and uniqueness, creating an interesting highlight for the exhibition.
And finally, the fifth room displays objects with extremely clever spatial mechanisms: Pippa's writing desk is convenient when opened and neat when folded; the picnic stick with a set of cutlery cleverly hidden in the stick's shaft; or the Inversables standing glass cabinet with a glass shelf on a mobile circular frame, which can be taken on a ship or yacht and still stand firm against the waves.
The exhibition opens up a strange and unique worldview for the majority of people who have not had the opportunity to learn more about this luxury brand. Not only famous for Birkin or Kelly bags, what makes Hermès consistent is the endless passion for movement and the spirit of perfection, along with the ability to explore to create the most beautiful and practical items associated with the spirit of movement.
As a rare opportunity to learn about many "hidden secrets" of this 182-year-old brand, the exhibition attracted many famous names in the Vietnamese fashion world such as Ly Qui Khanh, Hoang Ku, Chau Bui, Quynh Anh Shyn, Quang Dai...
The exhibition will be on display until November 3, 2019.
