In a novel move, French high fashion luxury goods maker Hermès has taken its next major step forward by expanding its portfolio of products to include beauty.
The house, best known for its equestrian products, leather goods, fine silks, watches, and many other fashion accessories, approached beauty in its own unique way.
Hermès Beauty looks to tap into the lucrative beauty industry, valued at USD532 billion in 2019. The fruit of design, research, and development work was initiated more than five years ago and directed by Agnès de Villers, CEO of Hermès Perfume & Beauty and was a collaborative creation under Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director of Hermès.
“Our approach to beauty is fundamental. It is to reveal and highlight what is naturally there, with elegance, comfort, and pleasure. I like the idea of Hermès as an intimate companion, revealing one’s deepest self. I associate Hermès’ beauty objects with self-fulfillment, with the colour of an individual’s personality,†asserts Pierre-Alexis Dumas.
Hermès Beauty’s first foray into beauty begins with Rouge Hermès lipsticks. As Hermès objects in their own right, they express all of the house’s principles in a small item of make-up. They also share the same aesthetic of function as all Hermès objects.
Created from noble materials–lacquered, brushed and polished metal in black, white or permabrass gold–assembled by hand, these are products that are made to last.
Pierre Hardy, creative director of Hermès jewellery and Hermès shoes explained that the object needs to be able to morph, remain iconic yet remain fluid.
The emblematic collection is accompanied by a twice-yearly limited edition of three colours. As beautiful inside as they are on the outside, Rouge Hermès objects cultivate sensory appeal and attention to detail, right down to a miniature version of the famous orange bo
Other beauty objects accompany the lipstick and form the basis of a ritual: a lip care balm, Poppylip shine, a universal lip pencil, and a lip brush in lacquered wood. A collection of leather accessories–cases and a moon mirror–invite movement.
Hermès Beauty will be enhanced with other objects, to be revealed every six months from September 2020, until a complete line of make-up is created.
The Rouge Hermès collection will be available from 4th March 2020 in selected Hermès stores and retail outlets in 35 countries.
