TO STAND OUT among the visual cacophony
of the Milan Design Week is a brand’s biggest
challenge. Many fall into the trap of over-
doing it, just adding to the already existing
eye-blinding chaos. But the trick to making
a lasting impression lies in creating one clear
visual statement. Not in excess.
Point taken by Hermès Maison, which
built a memorable installation using – again
one – distinct material as the unifying spatial
thread. By building a ‘maze’ of stacked stone
walling, the brand’s artistic co-directors –
Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry- turned the ample court of Brera’s La Pelota
into a structured display area for Hermès
Maison’s new collections of lighting, objects,
textiles, furnishing fabrics and wallpaper.
Thanks to the resulting compartmentaliza-
tion of the large space, the displayed objects
didn’t have to compete with one other, nor
with the crowds. Viewed from the former
stand of the historical pelota stadium, the
subtly lit exhibition design made for a
graphic line play. The focus of the show was
on materiality throughout, amplified by the
contrast between the roughness of the stone
and the refinement of the collection pieces.
The MDW outing of the luxury French brand
was an exercise in simplicity – in the positive
sense of the word. – FK
hermes.comHermès Maison kept things simple: just
one material formed its exhibition’s
unifying spatial thread.➂^
Filter. Don’t Flood
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