Vintage Hermes scarves are some of the most recognizable in the world. They are bright, they are bold, and they are uniquely chic. The orange boxes they come in merely hints at the wealth of vibrant colors and swirling shapes and figures on the scarf within. Here are the Top 3 reasons why we at Rice and Beans Vintage love Vintage Hermes scarves:
1. A scarf may be a scarf, but a Vintage Hermes scarf is always unique. Known for their square shape and vivid colors, each print is different in aesthetic and design. This variety is achieved by commissioning freelance artists from all over the world to create the designs of Hermès scarves. These artists could be anyone, from a children’s book illustrator to a fine arts designer to a postal employee from Waco, Texas who has designed more than a dozen scarves for the company. (Besides needing to be able to design in a square, the only rule is no blood and no sex—bravo, Hermès!) Hermès’s creative director of silks meets with as many as 100 potential scarf designing artists each year.
2. Quality, quality, quality. These scarves are not just cranked out. The designs take two to three years to complete from the very first talks of a basic design to the physical production at the Hermès silk factory outside of Lyon. The designs go through an editing process and is touched by a variety of talented artisans (the designer, the engraver, the colorist, the weaver, the printer, the finisher…) and every last step is done by hand. We’re talking hand-drawn, hand-engraved, hand silk-screened one color at a time, and hand-rolled and stitched. As a result of this attention to quality and detail, Hermès only releases 20 new designs a year.
3. They’re iconic. The first Hermès scarf was made in 1937; now more than 2,000 different designs exist, although not all have been produced yet. The designs that have not been produced are stored in a white metal box referred to as “Le Frigo,” which sits in the head of Hermès’s graphic design studio’s office. The longevity of the Hermès scarf is a good indication of its staying power and a mark of the company’s luxury products. Here at Rice and Beans Vintage we love a classic Vintage Hermes scarf and the individual story it may tell. If you’re in the market for a particular design or vintage, just let us know!
Written by Heather Cox for Rice and Beans Vintage.
