Hermès Fall-Winter 21 show: Paris- New York

For its parade unveiled this Saturday, the House Hermès decided to create bridges. Three cities, three atmospheres, all united under the theme of fashion in motion. It is with admiration that we were able to appreciate the spectacle that was offered to us, live.

Hermès, a parade in three acts

“What can we do today with the simple idea of ​​a parade?“This is the central question that motivated the French house. Funny period, assigned to our sofas, we continue to watch the models parading. We had to put a little more movement in all of this. idea of podium, Hermès offers a reinterpretation of this century-old ritual: a dance, a rhythm, a performance, inspired by the collection of Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski.

“The idea behind this triptych is quite simple. It was born from a question: how, in these times when we are all kept at a distance from each other, can we continue to be creative and, above all, how can we be together anyway? If we can’t move, travel, then it’s up to the parade to come to us… From there was born the desire to create something that would go beyond mere physical performance. Then we had the idea of ​​connecting three distinct places, so that the collection itself moves to three cities and invents its own circulation.“explains the artistic director.

Act I: New York, dance

The first act takes place at The Armory Show of New York with a choreography imagined by Madeline Hollander. At the heart of the decor, the curtains in this luminous orange specific to Hermès prefigure the prologue. The dancers go around them, cross them, without ever touching them. Astonishing grace emerges from this group of determined women. “It’s more of a commentary on New York City and the movement of its pedestrians than a commentary on fashion. I love the walk of people in the morning in Manhattan, their movements are in rhythm and sometimes even synchronized with each other. This famous 3.2 miles an hour (a little over 5 km), which would be the average pace of New Yorkers in the morning, is an inexhaustible source of inspiration.“explains the choreographer. The badass and confident approach, the grace and the lightness of this first act move us. Behind the screen,” aaaah “and” oooh “of admiration. We are these women, we dance.

Act II: Paris, the rhythm

In the midst of piles of hat boxes, the models walk confidently. We’re in Paris, at the Republican Guard. In a palette of colors that oscillate from chocolate to brown through mahogany (Hermès, remains Hermès), the house offers its vocabulary (very fine leather, plaids, quilting and Médor studs) by adding denim and technical pieces. from cycling. It gives off an impression of comfort and modernity in a collection that remains very classic. “The clothes are suitable for the evening as well as for everyday life, there are no longer any opposites or oppositions a priori: the categories are merged into games of materials and folds (…) protections in which to regain strength, but above all they are reinforcements which never come to constrain the movement. Something for them, to lead the present with great strides.“

Act III: Shanghai, performance

To close this triptych, we discover the dancers of choreographer Gu Jiani. Boxes to move, spaces to fill, we are fascinated by the movements that bring clothing to life in a different way. “In China, boxes are an integral part of our daily life. I noticed that creating a choreography around boxes had greatly intrigued the creative teams in Paris, where the box took on a different meaning, closer to the gift, to the surprise. Here again, it is interesting to see what, in our practices and our respective identities, comes to surprise the other. Using boxes on stage as building elements invites the viewer to look at them differently, like sliding walls, partitions to play with. Obstacles become bridges, space instantly transforms“explique Gu Jiani.

This trip that took place live before our eyes leaves us with a feeling of completion, a pleasant feeling of a complete achievement. Is it the coherence of the collection, the illusion of connection between the continents or simply the poetry of the show? Watch the video as a whole, you will understand! “The idea is to convey a sensuality that women would completely reclaim. For a long time, the sensuality of women has been described, filmed, photographed, painted by men. The two choreographers we spoke to are women. It is not a coincidence. We live this moment when the woman needs to find her story, to appropriate the terms of her sensuality, freed from stereotypes. It is a fantastic project for women today as for fashion ” concludes Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski.