Hermes

All eyes have been on the streets of Paris as sartorial enthusiasts from around the world flocked to Paris Fashion Week. While the runway certainly presented some unforgettable collections, a lot of our major style inspiration came from the Arab tastemakers as they flitted around corners on their way to fashion shows or lounged in bistros.
The much-awaited Loewe FW23 show under Jonathan Anderson had many Arab faces in attendance with Rania Fawaz supporting an oversized knit dress in lavender and furry sage green boots reflecting the playful identity of the brand. Saudi influencer Hala Abdallah was spotted at the show in denim-on-denim with a white Loewe puzzle edge bag in her hand. Later, Abdallah opted for a burgundy ensemble at Stella McCartney with delicately designed jewelry from her personal brand Ofa.
Karen Wazen was understandably busy this season as she attended multiple shows in Paris – from Lebanese couturier Elie Saab to Isabel Marant, Dior, and Coperni. Valentino FW23 also saw a number of Arab stars in attendance – Salma Abu Deif was spotted in a shimmering mini-dress while Emirati singer Balqees adorned herself in a modest animal print jumpsuit.
Scroll down to discover what your favorite Arab style stars wore to Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023.
Imaan Hammam in Loewe. Photo: instagram.com
Karen Wazen in Coperni. Photo: instagram.com
Rania Fawaz in Loewe. Photo: instagram.com
Nojoud Alrumaihi in Hermès. Photo: Instagram.com
Zeynab El Helw in Givenchy. Photo: Instagram.com
Hala Abdallah in Stella McCartney. Photo: Instagram.com
Nada Baeshen. Photo: Instagram.com
Balqees in Valentino. Photo: instagram.com
Salma Abu Deif in Valentino. Photo: instagram.com
Dima Sheikhly in Elie Saab. Photo: instagram.com
Read Next: Here’s What Arab It Girls, Hala Abdallah, Rania Fawaz, and More are Wearing During Milan Fashion Week

Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
This weekend, make the most of the breezy Dubai weather and head on over to Sunset Beach View for the Hermès Kite Festival. From February 10-12, the French luxury brand known for its silk scarves will celebrate the signature accessory by transforming them into flying objects. Seen taking the skies will be the ‘Plumets et Panaches’, ‘Robe légère’, and ‘Sur mon nuage’ scarves—all created in technical fabric, alongside bandanas, losanges, and shawls from the women’s and men’s collections.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
Visitors can choose to take a seat on the perches to take in the picturesque view of the colorful pieces amongst the clouds and the distant sea or create their own kites to release into the sky. The kite workshop will teach individuals or groups how to create their own flying objects from technical fabric printed with scarf designs and in distinct shapes within an hour. Next, visitors can learn how to fly these kites and even take to the skies to compete with others. For those who are just in for the spectacular sights, aerial demonstrations will be made by professionals while maneuvering extraordinary kites and performing novel ballets in the air.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
The first ever Hermès Kite Festival took place in Indonesia in October 2022. After its stop in Dubai, the joyful event will travel around the world, heading for Argentina, China, and South Korea next. The festival at Sunset Beach View, Jumeirah 3 is open to the public with free admission. Visits must be booked via Hermes.com.
Read Next: Hermès Delights Dubai with the Arrival of its Latest Petit H Creations Made Just for the Region

Photo: Nacho Alegre
A few years ago, Hermès released a silk scarf titled “Della Cavalleria Favolosa.” It featured fantastical animals – a horse with a merman tail and a half unicorn, half bird among others – and the drawings delighted the imagination. Their improbable pairings making for probable creatures. Walking through the artisan workshop of Hermès petit h just outside Paris, one recalls such animal life. Here, bits and pieces, both large and small, are gathered from all the Hermès 15 métiers to create new objects. And while each delights the eye, they all have a function. There is a bookshelf with an inbuilt vase that rolls in with the wheel of a bicycle. A unique Hermès tote decked out with a fringe of silk spaghettis that beckons to be swung like a circle skirt. Moving deeper through the rows lined with the exceptional pieces from artisans whose savoir-faire has been crowned with the highest honors in France, one arrives at a guitar made with a horse saddle. Each object is a wonder. There is even a falcon stand crafted with terracotta, leather, porcelain, and crystal – destined for Dubai. This month, the Hermès petit h exhibition stops in Dubai, where a “souk” created by Emirati architect and designer Abdalla Almulla displays a bounty of objects, including those made specifically for the region.
Photo: Nacho Alegre
At Hermès, since 2010, with the creation of petit h, no material is discarded, instead being all gathered in one place – the petit h ateliers – to be molded into a new, unique object ranging from silk tape to a wooden cabin and a leather-lined safe. This métier is run by its creative director Godefroy de Virieu, who eagerly encourages an exploration of the shelves laden with hundreds if not thousands of silk scarves, buttons, crystals, and plaids. “Just this fabric in itself is a treasure,” exclaims De Virieu, caressing one. “There are two factors, it’s French law to consider the material, and we are wholly responsible for our stock,” continues De Virieu. “The Hermès model, based on craftsmanship, structurally limits the quantities that are produced. Throughout the production and commercial chain, Hermès ensures that its stocks are kept to a minimum. In the case of surplus objects we always favor recycling – petit h for example.”
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
All this and more await to capture the eye of an artisan or of a guest artist invited to imagine an objet Hermès that will one day appear at the petit h boutique on Rue de Sèvres, Paris, and imminently, Dubai.
Hermès petit h Dubai from November 8 to 27, 2022, at the Hermès The Dubai Mall store.
Read Next: Hermès Unveils a Limited-Edition Scarf in Qatari Flag Colors, Exclusive to its Place Vendôme Doha Store

Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
Hermès has unveiled a limited-edition version of the ‘Chevaux en liberté’ scarf, which is available exclusively at its Place Vendôme store in Doha, Qatar. What makes the silk twilly that much more special is that it represents the fashion house’s commitment to supporting children’s welfare. The Chevaux en liberté scarf will contribute to aiding the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), which marks its 10th anniversary this year and has supported over 12 million children and youth in more than 55 countries to date.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
Designed by French artist Jean-Louis Sauvat in the colors of the Qatari flag, the twilly is emblazoned with horses. While the Chevaux en liberté is currently available in a range of hues, it’s the first time it has been rendered in striking maroon and white. The pattern also nods to Hermès’ deep-rooted ties to equestrianism, as it sees horses in momentum, “set out on an enthusiastic race,” and made to resemble a praxinoscope with every sequence of gallop broken down meticulously. At the end of the twilly, a place where the Chevaux en liberté scarf is usually imprinted with ‘Hermès Paris’, reads ‘Hermès for Education Above All’.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
The EAA’s educational programs help children grow up to be global leaders and agents of positive, sustainable change, and also fall in line with Hermès’s values. Over the years, the French maison has been actively engaged either directly or through its foundation in initiatives linked to schools and higher education establishments and local projects around the world that help provide children access to education.
Read Next: Inside Hermès’ Largest One Floor Store in the World at Doha’s Place Vendôme

Photo: Xavier Ansart. Courtesy of Hermès
Qatar‘s luxurious shopping destination of Place Vendôme in Doha is now home to Hermès‘ biggest one-floor store in the world. Unveiled today, the sprawling 633 square meter space is abundant with details inspired by the country and its historical landmarks, and materials hand-picked specifically for the store.
Photo: Xavier Ansart. Courtesy of Hermès
The store is set between the desert and the sea, and is flooded with natural light from the double-height windows on the exterior walls, which are complemented by its interiors of marble and stone in cream and white, contrasting with amber and earthy tones. Other rare textures spotted in the store include sculptural waves on the ceiling, made to mirror sand dunes in the nearby inland sea of Khor Al Udaid, while the terrazzo’s hand-laid inserts with marble, mother of pearl, and pearlescent seashells evoke the rock carvings of Al Jassasiya. The store façade itself, with its hand-hewn travertine walls, is reminiscent of the wind-carved limestone rock formations at Ras Abrouq in the Northwest of the country.
Photo: Xavier Ansart. Courtesy of Hermès
Customers will find all 16 métiers of the house, including beauty, homeware, accessories, and more at the store. Designed by Parisian architecture agency RDAI, it features an area dedicated to Hermès‘ much-loved silk pieces, which also serves as the axis of the rest of the store which can be accessed in three directions. Each space, or “universe” as the house dubs it, comes equipped with VIP salons for one-of-a-kind service. To the left, the watch and jewelry métiers are present in two successive intimate salons, and across the equestrian and men’s silk collections are men’s ready-to-wear and accessories. On the right, customers will find a series of rooms going through to the leather goods, and homeware, before arriving at the womenswear universe. Colored in rich amber and honey hues, it features hand-painted embossed wallpaper with palm-frond motifs.
Photo: Xavier Ansart. Courtesy of Hermès
Step outside the store, and customers will be greeted by a private garden that comes alive with lush greenery and flowers selected by Hermès’ in-house perfumer Christine Nagel. Also elevating the store’s uniqueness and grandeur are a number of art pieces that position the new Hermès store as one with the most artworks in the world. Besides the hard-to-miss life-size sculpture of a blue horse by French artist Assan Smati, are artworks from the private collections of the Hermès family, and Wissam Al Mana, managing director of Qatar’s Al Mana Group, which operates Hermès in the Middle East. Among other artwork are earthenware vases by artist Julian Stair, a winged horse by sculptor Christian Renonciat, and repurposed works created by the late Tunisian designer Leïla Menchari for the windows of the 24 Faubourg Saint Honoré store in Paris.
Photo: Xavier Ansart. Courtesy of Hermès
Present alongside Al Mana at the opening of the store today, Florian Craen, Hermès’ executive vice-president—sales and distribution, welcomed journalists and clients with a speech that spoke to the store’s individuality. “It is always very very emotional—much more than you think. We don’t have that many stores in the world—we have 300 stores and each one of them is different, and this one is special in many ways,” he said. “It is one of six in the Middle East and the one and only store we have in Qatar. It has taken eight years of talks, and months and years of construction. So, for us, it is an end of a very long story as well as a new chapter.”
Read Next: Revisit the Rich History of Your Favorite Hermès Bags at a Brand New Exhibition in Qatar

This month, the National Museum of Qatar is inviting visitors for a very special exhibit. From May 28-June 11, French fashion house Hermès will be hosting a showcase titled Once Upon a Bag at the iconic space.
Preceded by three successful exhibits by the brand—Harnessing the Roots, which focused on harnesses; Rouges Hermès, which celebrated the brand’s deep connection with shades of red; and In Motion, which spotlighted objects that bring about a desire for outdoor elements—Once Upon a Bag is the fourth chapter of the Hermès Heritage cycle, and will share the rich history behind the fashion house through its bags.

Put together by Bruno Gaudichon, curator of La Piscine museum of art and industry in Roubaix, and scenographer Laurence Fontaine, Once Upon a Bag will help visitors trace the parallels between about 50 models and objects from Hermès’ Conservatoire of Creations and the Émile Hermès collection. The display will begin with a history of the Haut à courroies bag, a creation with equestrian roots which first came to be back in the 20th century. The exhibit will also help fashion connoisseurs understand the special stories behind its many different types of bags, ranging from clutches to ladies’ bags (like the iconic Kelly, along with  Constance, and Simone Hermès), and men’s bags (such as the Sac à dépêches, and Cityback basketball backpack), to travel bags and the sports bag. Visitors will also get to take a closer look at the brand’s intricately detailed clasps in a special room dedicated just to this facet of bag making, and can check out more eclectic creations, such as the ‘Bags of Mischief’ collection from the 1980s, which was designed by the chairman of Hermès from 1978 to 2006, Jean-Louis Dumas.
Inside the Hermès showcase. Photo: Kyung Sub Shin
The aim of Once Upon a Bag is to offer a deep dive into the label’s archives, and to highlight how bags at Hermès have transformed with the times and evolving societies. It was close to 1923 when Hermès came up with the Sac pour l’auto, its very first model to feature a functional zip, and since then, the French design house has put in great efforts to make its carry-ons more innovative, and even lighter. The trend hasn’t ceased today. Enthusiasts of the brand will agree that few manage to reinvent their pieces quite like Hermès does.

The Hermès Once Upon a Bag exhibit will take place from May 28-June 11 at the National Museum of Qatar, and is open to the public free of charge. 

Yes, it’s that time of year again! Holiday season is just around the corner, so if you’re wondering what to gift the special woman in your life, look no further than our carefully curated wishlist. From sentimental jewels to high-fashion handbags, there’s something for everyone in Vogue Arabia’s festive gift guide.
Take inspiration from Olivia Von Halle’s glorious silk robes and pyjama sets for a special someone who loves to lounge, Prada’s OTM Symbole sunglasses, or a classic Hermés silk scarf and some Gucci leather gloves in bold red. What about the woman who’s obsessed with decorating her house? Consider a scented candle by Diptyque or a novel keepsake box.
If you have a ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ in your life, there’s only one way to her heart: shoes. Treat her to a pair of Aquazzura’s pink bow-tie plexi pumps, or everyone’s favorite Swarovski crystal-embellished heels by Mach & Mach – it doesn’t get more special than that.
No matter the cost, diamonds will always and forever be a girl’s best friend. Look to Chopard or Tiffany for some of the best in bling – these picks promise to be stocking fillers that will last a lifetime. Scroll to find the perfect match for your loved ones, just in time for Christmas and the new year.
Chain pouch bag, Bottega Veneta. AED 14,000
Michael Aram butterfly gingko keepsake box, Amara. AED 953
Happy Hearts cocktail pendant, Chopard. AED 79,421
Rose gold carousel and baies scented candle set at Net-A-Porter, Diptyque. AED 662
Pea coat, Fendi. AED 19,250
Leather gloves with horse bit, Gucci. AED 2,250
Brides De Gala Double Face Scarf 90, Hermés. AED 2,465

Queenie belted floral-print silk-satin robe, Olivia Von Halle. AED 2,675
Symbole sunglasses, Prada. AED 1,600
Bow-tie plexi pumps, Aquazzura. AED 2,433
68 boots in smooth leather, Saint Laurent. AED 6,500
Link earrings in 18k rose gold with pavé diamonds, Tiffany & Co. AED 46,273

Inside the Hermès Odyssey 2021 theme dinner. Stage direction Pauline Bayle and Scenography Fanny Laplane. Courtesy Hermès
The biannual Paris Fashion Week ready-to-wear season unofficially began a few days prior with the Paris Ballet Gala. While the gala is by no means part of the show schedule, for this high art evening, the dancers tutus are signed la maison Chanel, its audience is filled with celebrities, and, after the ballet, a delectable menu of 750 rare blue lobsters served in the halls of the Palais Garnier. The gala sets the proverbial bar high, some would say its artistic flair is quite well out of earthly reach.
For this feast, your reporter was seated next to French-Algerian choreographer Mehdi Kerkouche, a savvy placement on behalf of Alison Chekar, the driver behind the l’AROP, which organized the night’s sparkling affair. The following day, Manuel Arnaut, editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia acquiesced to a last minute feature, and Kerkouche thus graces the pages of the biannual Vogue Man Arabia issue introducing his company EMKA to the Gulf.
Inside the Hermès Odyssey 2021 theme dinner. Choreography by Mehdi Kerkouche. Courtesy Hermès
Fashion week unraveled with particular bravura, from the Saint Laurent spectacle of Havana meets Eiffel to the Nineties-inspired Chanel runway at the ephemeral Grand Palais, and conference calls with Dubai from a suite at the newly opened Cheval Blanc hotel overlooking the Seine River. It closed, unofficially, the day after the last show with Hermès, which announced, as it does every year, its annual theme—Odyssey.
Tables were set on a winding wood boardwalk surrounded by water. Look up and around, and the blacked out set was sprinkled with stars. Hermès was on a mission to strip back the senses. Start again with founding principles—wood, water, light, and dreams. The evening would offer a culinary feast signed multi-star French chef Jean-François Piège, thought-provoking monologues delivered by César award-winning actor Jeanne Balibar, and personal memoirs shared by Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas.
Looking down at the plate offering a sumptuous blue lobster, decidedly, the fashion week extravaganza would end just as it had started. Suddenly, the pounding on the percussions by musician Lucie Antunes began to crescendo. It was a welcome beat, Antunes had animated the entire evening and the audience was delighted. And then, a splash! The waters had filled with dancers in electric blue garb; their swift movements absorbing the black space, and its surprised guests right along with them. “Who is the choreographer?!” exclaimed the journalists at the table. Searching through the credits the fingers stopped at a name in fine print. “Et voilà,” pronounced a guest, “Choréographie: Mehdi Kerkouche.” An odyssey is defined as a long and adventurous journey. Only the pilgrim can decide if it will be one of excellence or mediocrity.

Vogue Arabia features director Caterina Minthe with choreographer and dancer Mehdi Kerkouche at the Paris Ballet Gala dinner.
READ NEXT: The Paris Ballet makes a brilliant return

Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
Unveiled at the 2021 Watches & Wonders showcase, Hermès’s latest timepiece is the Faubourg Polka. Inspired by the miniaturized Faubourg model presented in 2014, it features a mother-of-pearl dial framed by a round case. Its entirely redesigned bracelet steals the show with its two opposing design elements: interwoven dots and oblique lines.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
The luxury watch is available in five versions — white or rose gold, gem-set, or entirely paved with diamonds. The latter is a timepiece solely made for diamond lovers as each version is adorned with an endless placement of diamonds, from the white-gold bracelet set with 71 round brilliant-cut diamonds and 12 baguette-cut diamonds or 107 round brilliant-cut diamonds and the rose-gold case with 28 diamonds.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
The Faubourg watch, named after the location of the Hermès flagship store, 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore was first introduced by the house in 2014 at Paris couture week. According to Hermès Horloger CEO Laurent Dordet, the petite timepiece with a diameter of 15.5.mm is one of Hermès’s thinnest watches.
Photo: Courtesy of Hermès
At Watches & Wonders, the watch was physically revealed through an avant-garde art installation at Geneva’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrice, a 19th-century performance art center that showcased the virtual show’s highlights. Hermès’s Polka Faubourg was amongst the highlights, presented as a science and art installation reflective of the house’s history with horology. In collaboration with artists Clement Vielle and Pierre Pauze Hermès, the installation titled Texture of Time combined architectural elements with digital technology and comprised of translucent structures, art sculptures, and light projections.
Read Next: Hermès’ First Ever Complexion Product is Currently Only Available in Dubai

Some of the world’s most luxurious designer items are now up for grabs. British auction house Christie’s is hosting its Handbags & Accessories Online: The London Edition from today, November 3 until November 17, including handbags from the most desired labels in fashion like Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès. Opening at 5pm GST, this […]
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