A GRAND TRADITION

Clémande Burgevin Blachman approaches Hermes’s accessories through he prism ofits history,

- ADRIENNE GAFFNEY

Many years ago, Clémande Burgevin Blachman the perfect vintage belt. She's always loved design objects, and to her, accessories represent an ideal-an aesthetic statement that serves a purpose. The belt was the Hermès Etriviere style and once belonged to her father. Now, as the creative director of fashion accessories at the house, Burgevin Blachman has better context for why it appealed to her so much. She values items with purpose and history. At Hermès, that's the ethos.

"I need things to be wearable and have a function, which is also the beauty of the philosophy at Hermès," she says. "The idea of transmission is very important to me. I'm a big believer that even in a piece of fashion or in accessories, there is some kind of imprint. The object you're wearing is carrying some kind of memory that is actually the beauty of the people who made it, the story behind the idea." Burgevin Blachman grew up with parents immersed in design. "They were antique dealers at a flea market in Paris, so I often say that this very particular background shaped my eye," she says.