December 4, 2023 |
For one night only, Hermès took over a vast warehouse on the outskirts of West London to celebrate one of its house icons, the Brides de Gala silk scarf print. An industrial lot in Acton usually used for filming was, last Thursday, transformed into an otherworldly desert. Envisioned by London-based set designer Ibby Njoya, purple and orange sand dunes populated the space, which also featured rock structures transformed into cocktail bars, disco balls that hung over a giant dancefloor like a miniature solar system and a rendition of the Brides de Gala print immortalised via a twinkling constellation achieved through LED lights.
Throughout the night, guests were treated to delicious beverages and experimental, intergalactic-inspired canapés, as well as a musical performance from Hope and dance sequences choreographed by Marcelino Sambé.
This trippy, imagined land, dubbed ‘Brides de Galaxy’, took its visual cues from the rich array of carré silk scarves from Hermès’s archive. “Brides de Gala is our undisputed ‘carré de toujours’, it is incredibly attractive, says Cecile Pesce, the house’s creative director for women’s silk. “The secret of its power might be that it is the silk transcription of Hermès’s origins.” First imagined in 1957, the Brides de Gala was initiated by Robert Dumas, then designed by Hugo Grygkar “from a composition on the floor of bridles from our museum,” says Pesce.
An insignia of Hermès’s equestrian heritage, the Brides de Gala design features a saddle and bridle componants. Over the years, the house has found new, exciting ways to reintroduce the print – be it through vivid colours or reinterpreted designs. “The power of the Brides de Gala carré allows great creative freedom, it can play so many roles. Polka dot, perforated, pop, embroidered, floral,” says Pesce. “This makes Brides De Gala, in a way, the ‘big H’ of silk.”
Photography courtesy of Hermès.
