For its upcoming home collection revealed at Milan Design Week in June, Hermes puts the universe of textiles centre stage for the first time, making it the anchor and inspiration for the entire line that ranges from blankets and stools to wall-mounted organisers.
Florence Lafarge started her career at Hermes since 2009, where she was creative director for Art de Vivre, creating numerous collections for the decorative objects and the beach lines of the maison. Since 2013, she has been its creative director for home textiles, furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and the children’s universe.
We find out from Florence Lafarge – the maison's creative director for home textiles, furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and all things kids – about how cloth is an important part of design and the social fabric in one's abode.
“The pandemic has had an impact on our habits and our daily lives and changed a lot of things for us. We all took a lot more time for ourselves, we experienced a lot of stressful times, and a lot of constraints and limits. Against that background, textiles have become a form of comfort and allowed us to live spontaneously. Think about how in living like nomads within our own homes, we’ve developed new habits – we leave the plate from our lunch on our knees, or use a tablecloth for purposes other than decorating or protecting a table. Through that, we see the lightness (or flexibility) of textiles and have thus tried to mirror that. Our 2022 home collection serves a lot of different functions for humans and their needs in the house (there are several throws, for example, that can be used in various settings for both decorative and functional purposes, while an artfully designed leather sheet doubles as a dish and objet d’art). We’ve always tied Hermes textiles closely to human nature and how we like to be connected to something far away or that we miss. I also believe that holding a piece of fabric helps you feel the generosity, skills and sheer abilities of the people who designed and made it.”
“The ‘hero’ textile in your home is something that everyone gathers around. And, if you live on your own, it’s the textile that’s the centre of your attention – easy to use or something that you use often. For example, it could be a place mat that you use inside the house, take out for a meal on the terrace, and bring along for picnics. The ideal ‘hero’ textile should be robust and able to accommodate your lifestyle and decor changes. Its design should not only exude elegance and quality, but also – most importantly – be timeless.”
“Textiles and architecture are quite similar. While the former may seem flat on the surface, they are very built and constructed because they are made of yarn that has to be warped and wefted. Sometimes, this even gives them a three-dimensional quality. At Hermes, we play with textile design beyond their prints. This year, for example, we have incorporated techniques that are quite unprecedented for the house, such as those borrowed from haute couture. The Construction plaid throw (pictured), for example, is made up of cashmere panels assembled together through relinking – a process that first involves running the fabric through a machine that punches holes in it, then reconnecting the different pieces together for a stronger and more seamless bind. You’ll also see how patterns are created from the way we have combined colours (see the H Pythagore plaid throw that’s the result of patchwork – stitching together different coloured square pieces of cashmere that were hand spun, woven and dyed).”
“Quilts are not rustic – they have accompanied mankind throughout history. They were first created to protect humans from harsh weather and environments that were too hot, cold or wet. And the technique of quilting is very dear to Hermes because of our heritage in equestrianism (saddle pads are traditionally quilted). Another very precious thing about quilts is that they are as beautiful on the front as they are on the back. While an Hermes quilt is constructed using techniques that are homespun and traditional in their roots and inspirations, they are actually innovative and contemporary in the way they are executed, and everything is done with the utmost precision by artisans. (This year, the brand has launched the Surface bed cover above – a 220cm by 240cm bedspread made up of a fun and colourful patchwork of quilted cashmere hexagons.)”
“This year, there is a sense of elegance and richness in the colour schemes used in our home collection because of the fabric we’ve used: cashmere (all the blankets and bed coverings are made from the material). Cashmere has a natural whiteness, which is not optic white, yet when dyed, gives off a high colour density. The designs we have created feature a lot of contrasts between cashmere’s natural white hue and colours such as navy blue, orange, green and ochre. This brings out the natural quality of these colours, which resemble that of the earth as well as fruits... One of the cashmeres we’ve used is Katmandu (as seen in the H Tartan throw above). It’s an ultrafine cashmere that is so thin, it’s almost gossamer. It is handwoven very slowly and starts off as extremely thin yarn, which is then skilfully turned into this fantastic fabric. Weaving it is a bit like painting with delicate watercolour, pushing our artisans to show their prowess and golden fingers. It’s a manifesto of lightness.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity and first appeared in the August 2022 Home Edition of FEMALE