Hermès Unveils Its London Flagship

Courtesy of Valérie Sadoun for Hermès

SPANNING 21,527 SQUARE FEET, Hermès (Paris) opened its new flagship on London’s Bond Street, where, alongside its leather goods, more than five hundred works of art are showcased.

Housed inside a building first developed in 1769, Hermès’ flagship has 55 rooms, four staircases and a rooftop terrace. While the building’s original decoration was preserved, new ornamentation was designed by the architecture firm RDAI (Paris).

Visitors enter the flagship through the 23-foot-high façade and walk across flooring patterned with the brand’s signature Faubourg design. The vaulted ceiling mimics the shape of the store’s arched windows, eliciting a sense of grandeur. Guests then enter the atrium, enclosed by a steel-and-glass roof designed by architects Foster + Partners. There, guests can traverse the limestone and glass spiral staircase. Also found in the atrium is a horse sculpture created for the flagship by British artist Jessic Wetherly.

Artwork featured throughout the flagship was selected under the supervision of Hermès’ Artistic Director, Pierre-Alexis Dumas. The store’s decor was selected to create “a dialogue between treasured heritage, photographs, illustrations and contemporary designs,” according to a company press release.

The flagship’s second entrance takes visitors into the beauty, perfumes and fashion jewellery areas, each detailed with bespoke elements. Leading up to the first floor is a series of twenty rooms showcasing the brand’s leather goods. Displayed over five areas is the home collections, which are decorated with patterned parquet in oak, echoing the design of the restored plaster ceilings. Finally, the equestrian collection is at the center of the floor and includes boiserie shaped in straw and horsehair marquetry.

On the second floor, visitors find the women’s shoes area, which features hand-finished powder pink mineral mortar walls and ceilings in addition to carpet decorated with English floral patterns. The women’s ready-to-wear area includes original nineteenth-century mosaic floors from two private salons. The men’s apparel sections feature reclaimed oak wood floors and Lancashire-made, textured wallcoverings in blue.

The third floor is a dedicated space for Hermès’ leather artisans to work on crafting new products.

The fourth floor houses the Émile Hermès Collection as well as rooftop lounges and two gardens.