Petit h is a special collection by Hermès. It is was born in 2010 to re-think what to do with the amount of waste materials that Hermès produces. The unique items in the collection are all made out of recycled “luxury waste” to give them a second life as upcycled new products.
Pascale Mussard is the creative director of Hermès’ upcycled line Petit h. Mussard is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Thierry Hermès. So it is still a family business. The recycling concept is a new idea and it sets Hermès apart from other luxury brands. It will be interesting to see if other brands will follow them.
Another different strategy that Hermès has applied in the past was to set up a completely new luxury brand Shang Xia for the Chinese luxury markets. It has it’s own independent identity which is not visually linked to Hermès.
To launch the Petit h collection in London Hermès opened a pop-up shop at Bond Street. It is designed by London creative agency Studio Toogood.
The design is made out of sculptural displays in glossy leather and resin. It aims to be an antidote of sleekness of luxury business using utilitarian setting instead. The colour choice of dominant red does not make you think of Christmas, instead the scarlet interiors and resin that gives a liquid like finish to materials makes them look ‘bloody’. The hooks used in the installation look like something you could see in a slaughter house. So it is definitely an original departure from the traditional luxury atmosphere of the Bond street.
The craftsmanship is the main focus of the pop up store. The product range is wide and shows the creativity that is the key component in coming up with new ideas what to make of the so called waste.
Trending Topics by Minna Takala 