maryg1 said:great, but...nothing available in Italy, and I'm not planning a journey right now. I hope I won't like the scarves when they come out
Likewise for us too no chance
Cry cry cry
COMME des GARCONS x Hermès
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Likewise for us too no chance
Cry cry cry
Stablemates: Rei Kawakubo collaborates with Hermès
Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons has drawn on the archives of the equine-obsessed Hermès to produce idiosyncratic versions of its silk scarves.
BY NATASHA FRASER-CAVASSONI | 19 JANUARY 2013
Comme des Carrés, a two-part collaboration between two of the most uncompromising names in fashion, brings together unlikely bedfellows - namely the fashion world's edgiest high priestess, Rei Kawakubo of the Japanese label Comme des Garçons, and the horsey savoir-faire of the 175-year-old French luxury goods house Hermès. Next month Hermès will release six scarf designs (carrés) that have been reworked by Kawakubo in a limited edition of 200 of each design. They are sure to become instant collectors' items.
It was Kawakubo's 'immense respect' for Hermès' 'tradition and know-how' that attracted her to the project, and Bali Barret, the deputy artistic director for women's collections at Hermès, is quick to point out their common ground. 'Rei has a strong link with scarves,' the elegant, gravel-voiced Parisian says. Kawakubo, described by Barret as 'a perfect mix of modernity and tradition', is also as exacting about her methods as Hermès is. And finally, in Barret's eyes, Kawakubo possesses the right collaborative spirit. 'She likes to open her stores to other people' (meaning she will invite other designers to share the Comme des Garçons space), 'views fashion as creation' and is 'not an egomaniac who doesn't want to share,' Barret says. 'I remember her first Comme des Garçons store on rue Etienne Marcel and thinking how advanced she was for the time,' she says. 'The way she was displaying the merchandise, the language, the research, the innovation - she was never just a designer for me.'
Kawakubo was no stranger to collaborations - she had previously worked with H&M and Louis Vuitton - and neither was Barret, who had worked with Colette and Liberty on collections. 'The idea is to make the scarves modern and different,' she says. In 2003 Barret was appointed the creative director of Carré Hermès, the silk scarf department, and by her own admission 'was not so obvious a candidate here'. She was already a fashion designer with her own eponymous label and boutique, and then she alarmed her Hermès colleagues by laser-cutting holes in her first headscarf. 'I was considered a kind of punk girl,' Barret says. But her originality appealed to the artistic director Pierre-Alexis Roland-Dumas and his father, Jean-Louis Dumas Hermès, then the head of the company.
Kawakubo proved to be a 'very easy' and 'very nice' partner-in-crime. 'She knows what she wants,' Barret says, and was a seamless fit for Hermès, where collaboration is termed 'as opening the door, giving the keys and saying, let's have fun. ' An introductory meeting was followed by a second at the Hermès flagship shop in Paris, where Kawakubo was shown 250 scarves from the archives, 'so she could figure out what the treasure was,' Barret says. Kawakubo 'looked, watched and touched everything' and then asked 'a ton of technical questions'. 'She was very sharp and precise about printing,' Barret adds.
'And that was very exciting.' Afterwards, Kawakubo asked for coloured copies of all the designs, from the 1950s, the 1970s and the present day, which would allow her to 'think about it and to know what to do'. At that time, there had been no mention of how many pieces she planned to create. But a few months later Kawakubo's designs for the two collections, Noir et Blanc and Couleur, appeared.
As always, the scarves were made in Lyon, famous for its superior silk mills, and took two years owing to the 19th-century process of engraving the design, printing and colouring it. 'I am so used to the time limit that it doesn't seem long,' Barret says. The first scarves are laced with typically Comme des Garçons elements such as Kawakubo's iconic polka dots, nylon gingham, heavy black lines and personal motto, live free with strong will, married with traditional Hermès prints such as Thalassa and Pegasus. None the less they are classic in style. Indeed, even Barret, who worked with Kawakubo throughout the project, was surprised 'that she did not make a revolution'.
She describes the designs as 'landing on the scarf' and not being 'rough and tough'. 'Rei decided to work with our classic format and silk twill scarves and she did it very tenderly,' Barret says. Indeed, it seems that only when dealing with Hermès' press department did Kawakubo appear to lose patience and show 'her deadpan sense of humour'. When asked, 'Rei, why are you doing this collaboration?' Kawakubo merely replied, 'Say because', and refused to elaborate. fashion.telegraph.co.uk
Description:
1nd one: Giant patchwork Hermès scarf (180x180cm), £1,500 at Dover Street Market (doverstreetmarket.com) from February 6.
2nd one: Coaching scarf with checks, £330; 90cm Couvertures et Tenues de Jour with message, £330; 90cm Quadrige scarf with dots, £330; 90cm Circuit 24 Faubourg with gingham patch, £450. Photo: Hermès.
Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons has drawn on the archives of the equine-obsessed Hermès to produce idiosyncratic versions of its silk scarves.
BY NATASHA FRASER-CAVASSONI | 19 JANUARY 2013
Comme des Carrés, a two-part collaboration between two of the most uncompromising names in fashion, brings together unlikely bedfellows - namely the fashion world's edgiest high priestess, Rei Kawakubo of the Japanese label Comme des Garçons, and the horsey savoir-faire of the 175-year-old French luxury goods house Hermès. Next month Hermès will release six scarf designs (carrés) that have been reworked by Kawakubo in a limited edition of 200 of each design. They are sure to become instant collectors' items.
It was Kawakubo's 'immense respect' for Hermès' 'tradition and know-how' that attracted her to the project, and Bali Barret, the deputy artistic director for women's collections at Hermès, is quick to point out their common ground. 'Rei has a strong link with scarves,' the elegant, gravel-voiced Parisian says. Kawakubo, described by Barret as 'a perfect mix of modernity and tradition', is also as exacting about her methods as Hermès is. And finally, in Barret's eyes, Kawakubo possesses the right collaborative spirit. 'She likes to open her stores to other people' (meaning she will invite other designers to share the Comme des Garçons space), 'views fashion as creation' and is 'not an egomaniac who doesn't want to share,' Barret says. 'I remember her first Comme des Garçons store on rue Etienne Marcel and thinking how advanced she was for the time,' she says. 'The way she was displaying the merchandise, the language, the research, the innovation - she was never just a designer for me.'
Kawakubo was no stranger to collaborations - she had previously worked with H&M and Louis Vuitton - and neither was Barret, who had worked with Colette and Liberty on collections. 'The idea is to make the scarves modern and different,' she says. In 2003 Barret was appointed the creative director of Carré Hermès, the silk scarf department, and by her own admission 'was not so obvious a candidate here'. She was already a fashion designer with her own eponymous label and boutique, and then she alarmed her Hermès colleagues by laser-cutting holes in her first headscarf. 'I was considered a kind of punk girl,' Barret says. But her originality appealed to the artistic director Pierre-Alexis Roland-Dumas and his father, Jean-Louis Dumas Hermès, then the head of the company.
Kawakubo proved to be a 'very easy' and 'very nice' partner-in-crime. 'She knows what she wants,' Barret says, and was a seamless fit for Hermès, where collaboration is termed 'as opening the door, giving the keys and saying, let's have fun. ' An introductory meeting was followed by a second at the Hermès flagship shop in Paris, where Kawakubo was shown 250 scarves from the archives, 'so she could figure out what the treasure was,' Barret says. Kawakubo 'looked, watched and touched everything' and then asked 'a ton of technical questions'. 'She was very sharp and precise about printing,' Barret adds.
'And that was very exciting.' Afterwards, Kawakubo asked for coloured copies of all the designs, from the 1950s, the 1970s and the present day, which would allow her to 'think about it and to know what to do'. At that time, there had been no mention of how many pieces she planned to create. But a few months later Kawakubo's designs for the two collections, Noir et Blanc and Couleur, appeared.
As always, the scarves were made in Lyon, famous for its superior silk mills, and took two years owing to the 19th-century process of engraving the design, printing and colouring it. 'I am so used to the time limit that it doesn't seem long,' Barret says. The first scarves are laced with typically Comme des Garçons elements such as Kawakubo's iconic polka dots, nylon gingham, heavy black lines and personal motto, live free with strong will, married with traditional Hermès prints such as Thalassa and Pegasus. None the less they are classic in style. Indeed, even Barret, who worked with Kawakubo throughout the project, was surprised 'that she did not make a revolution'.
She describes the designs as 'landing on the scarf' and not being 'rough and tough'. 'Rei decided to work with our classic format and silk twill scarves and she did it very tenderly,' Barret says. Indeed, it seems that only when dealing with Hermès' press department did Kawakubo appear to lose patience and show 'her deadpan sense of humour'. When asked, 'Rei, why are you doing this collaboration?' Kawakubo merely replied, 'Say because', and refused to elaborate. fashion.telegraph.co.uk
Description:
1nd one: Giant patchwork Hermès scarf (180x180cm), £1,500 at Dover Street Market (doverstreetmarket.com) from February 6.
2nd one: Coaching scarf with checks, £330; 90cm Couvertures et Tenues de Jour with message, £330; 90cm Quadrige scarf with dots, £330; 90cm Circuit 24 Faubourg with gingham patch, £450. Photo: Hermès.
Attachments
I called the CDG boutique in NYC last week, and the gentleman I spoke to also said the 8th. If there's anything that will drag me out of the house during this incoming blizzard...it's Hermes! I love the Pegase design 
For anyone else who may be interested, the color designs are still available online at www.doverstreetmarket.com. They ship internationally too (just check their information to see if they ship to your location) Hopefully, I'll get to do a reveal soon
For anyone else who may be interested, the color designs are still available online at www.doverstreetmarket.com. They ship internationally too (just check their information to see if they ship to your location) Hopefully, I'll get to do a reveal soon
I called the CDG boutique in NYC last week, and the gentleman I spoke to also said the 8th. If there's anything that will drag me out of the house during this incoming blizzard...it's Hermes! I love the Pegase design
For anyone else who may be interested, the color designs are still available online at www.doverstreetmarket.com. They ship internationally too (just check their information to see if they ship to your location) Hopefully, I'll get to do a reveal soon
Amen. Hermes > Blizzard. Thankfully I live close to the CDG store! So excited - also for the Pegase design! Also love the paint splatter design, although I'm not sure how I feel about the patterned bottom!
Maybe I'll see you tmrw at CDG!
Lucky you live close! It may be quite an ordeal for me to schlep in from the 'burbs
but seriously considering it!! I think most of these designs are definitely cool....but I need to see them in person before deciding for sure. Definitely the Pegase is at the top of my list! Hope we both get lucky!