SPECIAL CONTENTS

A chat with David Lane,
artistic director for
Le Monde d’Hermès 2024

If you want to delve deep into Hermès’s annual theme, there is no better resource than Le Monde d’Hermès. This year, the magazine is bridging the Faubourg store’s past and present under the lead of guest art director David Lane, who fills every page with the spirit of the flâneur—and of flânerie, the uniquely French art of wandering about aimlessly.

―What exactly is flânerie?

I’m not really sure, but I think it’s all the things that I wish I had time for in my life but sadly don’t—meaning sauntering around without a plan, thinking, looking, and being looked at. I love walking and try to do it as much as I can, but I normally go at a bit of a faster pace. I’m the one stepping off the sidewalk and onto the street to overtake the strollers. My father walks for at least two hours every day. He is now in his 80’s, and I’m convinced that’s why he is so healthy, both in his mind and his body.

―The perfect place for flânerie

During my recent trip in Tokyo, I think I walked about 20,000 steps a day for the week I was there. It’s the absolute best city in the world for walking without a plan. I can’t say I’ve seen too much of it because it’s so big, but I loved the garden at the Nezu Museum.

Ginza was a great place to wander. Because it is built on a grid, there are such great views down the streets. You always feel like you are going somewhere, even if you aren’t.

―Why wandering could be considered as part of the Hermès spirit

I suppose there is always space for creative thought within the Hermès universe. There isn’t a set of rules, just a DNA, a mood, and an approach that permeates everything the maison does. It’s varied and always different, and there is a surprise around every corner.

―What at Hermès best embodies the concept of wandering?

Perhaps it is the collection of Emile Hermès that’s housed within the Faubourg store. It is not led by logic or rules, and nothing is labelled or dated. It’s just led by an individual’s taste and his appetite for the curious. When you spend time there, you realise how much the incredible objects have influenced the maison’s contemporary products.

―The philosophy behind Le Monde d’Hermès

This year, I am exploring Hermès’s annual theme as the guest art director for Le Monde d’Hermès, together with guest editor Menehould de Bazelaire du Chatelle. The whole magazine is a wander through the Hermès Universe, past and present.

Le Monde d’Hermès 2024 S/S

David Lane

Lane is a creative director and the founder of Lane & Associates. Since 2017, he has collaborated with Hermès on visual production, creating films, campaigns, and events.
Photo: Rick Pushinsk