Eastern inspiration
Axel Dumas notes that the terrace atop Hermes' headquarters in Faubourg, Paris, was inspired by a Chinese courtyard.
In the 1920s, Emile Hermes acquired a 19th-century Chinese painting depicting daily life in the imperial palace. That work inspired the store's spatial composition and decorative narrative. Today, the painting has returned to China and hangs in the new Sanlitun store.
In 2023, Hermes invited Chinese artist Liu Jianhua to visit its ateliers in Pantin and the Emile Hermes Museum in Paris, reinforcing the house's long-standing focus on craftsmanship.
Among Emile's collection, Liu encountered a bronze danglu — a Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) horse ornament used in bridles.
He later incorporated this element into his hanging installation, The Growth of Everything, created for the Sanlitun store.
Suspended from the third floor, the installation flows through the stairwell. Composed of 815 ceramic petals and 24 marble discs engraved with danglu motifs, it suggests the motion of a rider's whip.
"Marble appears in many classical Western sculptures and ancient Chinese ornaments," Liu says.
"By combining ceramics and marble, the work creates a dialogue between East and West, and between past and present.
"The work conveys a sense of breath. The petals are like feathers in an abstract form, as if lifted by a gentle current and rising endlessly. They can also suggest the afterimage of a galloping horse, or the trail of a whip cutting through the air."
As part of its opening celebration, Hermes collaborated with the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, inviting students to design the Sanlitun store's window displays.
Among 73 submissions, Feng Yu's Opening the Door to the World was selected. Drawing on her interest in science fiction, Feng uses the motif of a "door" — symbolizing transition and direction — to create a surreal interplay between reality and imagination.
"We want to feel local in every country," Axel Dumas says.
"We are not here to expand from Paris and impose our taste. We try to be Chinese in China and American in the United States. That's why we work with local artists for each new store."
