The painstaking creation
of a beautiful Carré scarf

Given my background in bookbinding and book graphics, I always find my eyes drawn to the wonderful, startling colour schemes and intricate patterns of Hermès’s Carré scarves. Printing on paper does not require many colour screens—even six is a lot—but it is not unusual for 40 or even more silkscreens to be used to make a single Carré. The artisans use dozens of screens to painstakingly print every colour, one by one. It requires a delicate touch to undertake this daunting task of printing a detailed pattern on fabric without a single misstep.

When I was designing the binding for Osampo Stecchi (Stitching while strolling; published by Kodansha), an Hermès picture book, I visited a silk printing workshop in France and was amazed at the superhuman skill of the artisans there. I remember that feeling every time I stop by the Carré department, especially when I look closely at the lines between the different colours. That there is no visible gap at all is simply incredible. As a lover of printmaking, I can’t get enough.

The thrill of encountering
horses in art

When I visit Ginza Maison Hermès, I like to browse the objects while also looking at the paintings and photographs displayed throughout the store. Many of the works feature horses and saddlery, which are at the heart of Hermès. In the Carré department on the 1st floor, there is a wonderful painting of a lady riding side-saddle. The home goods collection on the 2nd floor has a series of prints by Rudolph Ackermann, a lithographer from the late 18th century, which depict several different carriage designs. These unique carriages were all in use at the time. The colours of the carriages are replicated at the edges of the frame mats, which is a chic touch.

There is also a photo by Terri Weifenbach, one of my favourite photographers since I was young, on the wall on the 2nd floor. To think that I’d find works by my favourite artists in a place like this! I don’t know of anywhere but the Ginza Maison where you can spend time not only shopping but also taking in art as your gaze wanders throughout the store.

In the saddlery department on the 4th floor, there is an interesting display. Each of the four sides of one of the weight-bearing posts is decorated with the same etching, each one printed with two different colours. If they were simply failed prints produced before all the colours had been applied, they would have been discarded, so this must be a deliberate attempt to showcase the printmaking process. I’m told the etchings are by Maurice Taquoy, a printmaker active from the late 19th to mid-20th century, and depict a scene before a horse race. Taquoy also designed an Hermès scarf around that time. It is moving to be able to come to the Ginza Maison and see creations by some of the designers and artists who were so important in the history of Hermès.