Wrapped up in design

On the occasion of its 70th anniversary of scarf production, Hermes is hosting an exhibition featuring a selection of 46 scarves from its total collection of 1,500 designs in history at Beijing's Today Museum till April 16.

Designed by Hiton McConnico, the exhibition aims to retrace the history of the Hermes scarf through each and every piece of scarf on display. To pay tribute to China, the birthplace of silk, Hermes also invites Chinese artist Ding Yi to design a special piece featuring Chinese elements for the occasion.

Workshops demonstrating the printing process of Hermes scarves are also presented four times a day till March 30 at Hermes boutique in World Trade Center.

Born in the year 1837, Hermes has become an elite brand from France providing leather goods, fashion clothing for men and women, silk scarves, ties, watches, fragrances, etc. Yet among the 14 categories of items, silk scarves have been one of the most favored.

First introduced in 1937, Hermes scarf marked a departure from Hermes' merchandising strategy which up until then had featured almost exclusively leather goods.

Each one is hand printed using multiple silk screens, one for each color used in the scarf's design. Up to 42 different colors can be used in a single design.

It weighs 65 grams, requires approximately 450 km of the finest silk thread and takes two years to create from conception to production. It measures 90 cm by 90 cm although, last year, in reference to its 70th, the special anniversary edition measures only 70cm by 70 cm.

Lin Shujuan

10 am to 5 pm, till April 16. Beijing Today Musuem, Building 4, Apple Community, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District, 5876 0600 北京今日美术馆, 百子湾路32号苹果社区4号楼

(China Daily 03/29/2008 page6)