On that rare occasion when one tires of one’s Hermès carré, what’s one to do? Yes, you could customise it, but that would quite frankly be rude, considering that a single scarf takes two years to make (the same gestation period as an elephant) with each of the (on average) 36 colours that make up one of the house’s 2000 designs individually screen-printed and then left to dry for a month before starting on the next. And what’s the other option? Throwing it in the bin? Ummm, no.
Step in clever Hermès, who today open the doors to the Hermèsmatic, an Hermès-orange launderette where you can take your carré and put it through their washers to get it dip-dyed in five different colours, technically four as there are two shades of blue, as well as pink, orange and red, to create something entirely new, and entirely yours. Located at 31 King Street in Manchester, mere moments from their store in Selfridges (we can attest – we walked it yesterday) – the lovely Hermès people will take your pre-loved scarf, put on a wash and hand it back to you, refreshed. And this isn’t a lucky guess – the team there know exactly what colour works with your original print. Best bit? So long as you bring in a certified-Hermès scarf, it’s completely free.
And, whilst you find yourself in the Hermès-orange wonderland, why not treat yourself to a little styling session? The Hermès people have drafted in a selection of in-the-know stylists to show you the many ways that you can wear an Hermès scarf. Some we saw last night? Around the handle of a Kelly, head scarf, crop top. Okay, we might not have seen the last one, but that’s how we’d wear ours.
The special pop-up will run until the 12th. Go get yourself an Hermès wash.
Hermèsmatic runs until 12th October, 31 King Street, Manchester, M2 6AA
