Journey within

Journey within: A look at the creative journey of Thierry Hermès

“Hermès founder Thierry Hermès (1801-1878) stood at the shoreline, gazing at the horizon and up at the stars—perhaps contemplating a future that had not yet arrived.”

In designing the storefront window display, William Waterhouse decided to tell two stories inspired by this image. One is about the future creations forming within Thierry Hermès’s mind. The other is about constellations and how the stars once guided nautical exploration, serving as instruments of navigation and discovery.

In the main window, a mirrored floor evokes a calm, still sea. It displays a celestial kinetic sculpture suspended above composed of a variety of objets, its reflection a multilayered labyrinth of colour. The Brides de Gala carré, its imagery pixellated to bring it into a new age, conveys poetic movement through its bold colours and the light drape of its fine silk. The Eau de citron noir perfume in its translucent blue bottle, the Hermès Clou d'H sterling silver double ring glittering in the light, and the Saut Hermès Horse mug with its allusions to horse riding—the very origins of Hermès—are decorated with playful imagery.

The two tales continue within the 16 smaller windows, where objets float around freely like the colourful beads inside a kaleidoscope. The telescope represents humanity’s attempt to understand the known universe, while the kaleidoscope—composed of numerous Hermès objets dressed in a variety of colours—speaks to wonder, play, and invention. The entire display is a mechanism of mirrors and colour that transforms reality into endless possibility. It becomes a metaphor for creativity itself—the childlike curiosity that evolved into the spirit of Hermès.