SILK STORIES

French luxury house Hermes' Singapore showcase, The Silky Way, dives deep into the storytelling behind the brand's popular scarves

- Amanda Chai Style Correspondent

A Birkin or Kelly might be what first comes to mind when one thinks of Hermes. But for many actual customers, silk is the entry point into the French luxury house.

Price point aside, a scarf is where one can play with colour and storytelling, Mr Christophe Goineau, creative director of men's silk, tells The Straits Times in an exclusive interview at the Hermes boutique in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands on Oct 22.

"It's very small yet can change an outfit completely. The scarf is made to reveal the crazy part or fantasy of our client. Hermes silk is how we offer our customers a way to express their fantasy," adds the Frenchman.

Silk is also a good way to enter Hermes, he notes, as the same designs can later be found on watches, home objects and other accessories.

The French term "accessoire" is in fact not the best word for it, Mr Goineau laments, as it implies being not essential or important. "It is the opposite. It actually is more than important. It brings to Hermes this boldness, joy and fun."

It is, hence, also silk that is the star of Hermes' latest public exhibition in Singapore. From now until Nov 5 at the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza, The Silky Way takes visitors on a poetic journey through its scarves, drawing them deeper into the stories behind each carre (French for "square").

The showcase makes its debut in Singapore and is expected to travel to other locations that have yet to be confirmed.

The heart of the experience is a 20-minute short film animating six Hermes silk scarves. In an intimate dome, visitors lie on plush recliners to watch the intricate designs come to life overhead. From a constellation of stars to a quirky circus scene to an increasingly surreal vignette of life in Paris, the tale transports you into the universe of Hermes.

Outside, a silk gallery showcases some of the maison's in-season scarves, given the art gallery treatment.