Paris, October 2012. It’s the day of Hermes’s first-ever Men’s Universe spectacle. Artistic director Veronique Nichanian welcomes a small contingent of journalists into her bright, spacious office at the maison’s HQ on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Compactly framed, she radiates warmth and composure, a cool confidence that suggests a woman at the top of her game. That she certainly is, having spent almost a quarter century presiding over the maison’s rapidly burgeoning menswear division.
Nichanian’s vision of modern menswear neatly straddles fashion and function, with pieces that push technical boundaries while remaining faithful to the house’s timeless codes. In Nichanian’s universe, a classic-looking pinstripe flannel jacket will open up to reveal a neoprene interior that renders the garment waterproof, while a shirt is constructed in what she terms ‘crocodile chiffon’ – leather that’s treated to be as soft as cotton, which drapes sinuously over the body.
Men’s Folio: What are the values that you share with Hermes, and why have you been with this house for the past 24 years?
Veronique Nichanian: So many values. You know, I feel at home. After so many years, I feel like it’s my family. My real family used to tell me, ‘If you’re not happy, do it again’. And that’s what I do at Hermes. I design and work until I’m completely happy with the outcome. Honesty, value and respect are very important to me. Respect for the craftsmen, respect for the quality, respect for the material. There’s also a sense of fantasy, and of fidelity… all these values that Hermes puts in each garment, each object, each scarf, each bag – it’s really what I feel inside and what I like. Also, I can do exactly what I want, so it’s almost as if I control the house!
What was it like when you walked into the Hermes atelier for the first time?
VN: It was (the late chairman and artistic director) Jean-Louis Dumas who asked me to come and design and take charge of men’s fashion at Hermes. There was somebody designing before me. But Mr. Dumas give me the liberty to design everything I wanted for men. It was really a dream to start that way with the most beautiful house.
In recent collections, you’ve tended to mix materials. Do you foresee that this trend will continue into the next few seasons?
VN: Yes, I think this is a reflection of freedom. Frenchmen dress differently from Italian men or Englishmen. Italians subscribe to a much more total look, whereas the English are much more colourful. The French have more freedom. And so I play with the material. I like to mix French materials with very innovative techniques. I like to go to the factory and work with people on the yarn, on the fabrics, to do very special finishing or treatments. And I like to mix that with the very roots of Hermes’s beautiful fabrics, the exclusive skins and so on. It’s like the bond between tradition and modernity, and this is what is interesting for me in men’s fashion now.
Is there any particular type of fabric that you have an affinity for?
VN: No, I like all types of fabric. After so many years of working with the mills in Europe, I know where the best of everything is – if I want the best linen, I go to Ireland; if I want some very fine wool I go to Italy. The fabric people like working with me, because I challenge them a lot. This is my role: to go one step further. It’s very exciting and interesting because I know exactly what I want to create a particular look or feeling of comfort. When I did the pinstripe flannel jacket with a neoprene interior four years ago, I wanted to have a rainproof jacket, but which looked really classic.
“My real family used to tell me, ‘If you’re not happy, do it again’. And that’s what I do at Hermes. I design and work until I’m completely happy with the outcome.”
Do you often relook your archives and think of ways to update what you designed in the past?
VN: No. I don’t even go to the Hermes museum. I don’t look to the past; I always look to the future. Last year as I was preparing for a conference on men’s fashion and my work, I went through all the defile, all the runway shows over the past 23 years, but there was nothing I could say, ‘Oh, it was ugly’. The proportions may look wrong now, but I’m still proud of what I’ve done.
For Spring/Summer 2013, you proposed active sportswear-meets-casual chic. What does this say about the Hermes man in 2013?
VN: Since the beginning of my work, I’ve mixed casual with chic. Because for me this is Hermes’s identity. We are casual and chic at the same time. In the winter collection you see beautiful, clean suits. But this is the same man who wears casual things like tennis shoes. Each season continues the season before, and for me, these two seasons, these two men, are really the same man, you know. When you wear a suit, you choose to wear a suit. You are not obliged anymore. You wear a suit for pleasure.
The word ‘luxury’ may be overused, but what is your definition of it?
VN: Time, because you need to take the time to do things well. We say at Hermes that when you give time, time will give back to you. I love this idea. And it’s true! Luxury is also about quality, which in this world means a lot to me. I like what we are doing at Hermes, the idea that you can repair things – the colour or even the seams of your bags. That means quality, and that you’ll keep them for a long time.
Continuity is a hallmark of Nichanian’s oeuvre. Autumn/Winter’s crocodile chiffon shirt (above) neatly segues into Spring/Summer’s crewneck t-shirt (below)
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