Hermès windows Amsterdam
Commissioned by: Hermès Benelux
Year: 2024
Dimensions large windows: 300x250x90cm, small window: 75x96x51 cm
Materials: Paper, electronics, mdf
Realization: Studio Mieke Meijer
Photography: Kasia Gatkowska, ©Hermès
Special thanks to the Hermès team and everyone involved in the making of: Savine Schoorl, Marijke Remmers, Yuval Harel, Hil Meijer, Hilbert Meijer, Sanne Schuurman, Omer Baroukhi, Zuika Owada, Tano Lops, Pierre Salaun.
Studio Mieke Meijer was invited to design the 2024 Spring windows for the Hermès boutique at the P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam.
The title of the installation, ‘A race in the garden’, refers to the Maison’s first store on 24, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré in Paris. The multi-story building not only houses a store, but also workshops, offices, a private museum and a rooftop garden. The Faubourg is a place where reality and fiction merge, a place where ordinary objects become extraordinary, where the impossible is possible.
A recurring theme in Émile Hermès' art collection, the elegance of motion, inspired the window design. Making use of simple mechanisms, Hermès products were put into motion, turning the usually tranquil and peaceful rooftop garden into a vibrant stage.
The bolide skate bag waters the plants, flowers constructed out of nail polish bottles dance together and a silk carré gallops toward the finish.Constructed entirely from 2D paper patterns, each element has been manually folded and assembled with precision and care.
The ephemeral nature of the paper contrasts strongly with the transparent solid glass brick facade of the store designed by MVRDV. The vibrant and colorful windows will be on display from February through April 2024.