Every gallop from the beast of naturethat it first served drove generations of Hermès to see the strides of life, birthing the juxtaposition of the real and the imagined that play such important roles to the core of the brand, rigour and fantasy come to their fulfillment. “This is the reason of being of Hermès Maison,” says Dubrule, “To extend this vocation into the customers’ most intimate spaces: their homes.”

The “Groom Attele” series, in fact, makes an obvious nod at such genesis, featuring saddle stitches, brass, and leather to create a coat hanger. It debuted at Milan Design Week, but found its home in Singapore. “Compared to Milan, where it’s sleeker,” shared Dubrule, “We wanted to bring fun and life to the flagship store.”

Drawing from deeper inspiration in the Asian culture that has so warmly welcomed Hermès Maison, the “Karumi” collection features a triangular stool made of bamboo, designed by the Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza and moulded by the hands of a Japanese master of wood. Dubrule raves about the exquisite piece, calling it “technocraft” at its nest: “You don’t see it, but inside [the piece] is this work of technology and craftsmanship.”

Indeed, everything in  the store should not have been taken at face value. Walking up through the stairwell with its walls, every step was wrapped in 10 layers of different Hermès wallpaper that had been ripped at random to reveal a play of patterns and colours.

Lined with the inherent Hermès aesthetic that intentionally contrasted with the streamlined  forms of the furniture on display, one immediately enters an alternative existence where the décor exhibits the remarkable relation of Hermès with whimsy: fantastic architectural statements that cast a light on the rigid furnishing that give them character. Through the Walls allowed its customers to step into the universe of Hermès Maison, quite literally.

The homeware metier of the French luxury house stands as one of its most evolved lines, reflecting a sense of being that is fully formed. Asia, according to Dubrule, is coming of age in this matter. “I feel that there’s a growing interest for home in this part of the world maybe because maturity is coming,” she said. “When a market and population become more mature in terms of its appreciation of luxury, it becomes more intimate.” 

Hermès foresaw this development 30 years prior, recognising Singapore as a trade post in the region that melded Eastern and Western sensibilities. In 2016, the renovation of the store at Orchard Road gave way to an expansion of four storeys in the Liat Towers.

The exquisite design exhibits a space worthy of the 16 metiers, providing an immersive environment for everything from the bags and luggage to diaries and small objects to live.  “Hermès is more than just a house of marvellous objects.

Of course, [there are] marvellous objects, but it also provides a way of life and even a way of being,” said Dubrule, continuing,“ [We create] objects that can be companions—objects, as Jean-Louis Dumas would say, with sense and meaning, for people who have senses, for people who will experience them and live with them. It will live a second life with you.”