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If you could have anything you wanted, what would it
be? An eccentric creation fashioned from a childhood
memory? A case to house a beloved object? Or a
luxurious vehicle that will propel you into a future that’s
yet to be conceived?
For clients of Hermès, these are not rhetorical
questions. The storied Parisian maison has a long
history of creating bespoke products that goes back
more than 150 years, to its equestrian heritage of hand-
made harnesses and saddles.
Today, one of the most legendary names in the lexicon
of luxury goods is challenging its customers to dream
bigger – think Airbus A319 big, with luxurious leather
interiors and reclining seats perfect for floating off to
bed with your head almost literally in the clouds.
Hermès is asking its clients to put the ingenuity and
skill of its artisans to the test to fulfil any and every
request – a hand-made tea chest, a pivoting dressing
room, a banquette in a boat or the interiors of a luxury
spaceship? The creations lie at the boundary where
fantasy and reality blur. We asked Axel de Beaufort,
Director of Design and Engineering at Hermès to
explain the ethos driving le sur-mesure.
You have said before “the definition
of luxury is the emotion of the object”.
How do you define this emotional aspect?
An emotion makes you feel something… it can be
something you love or an element that takes you further.
I’m not sure everyone has the same expectation of an
emotion. For a bespoke product I believe the emotion
comes from the process of its creation. There are
many elements involved – the innovativeness, the
Fantastic
Reality
Hermès is embracing its role as a
custodian of dreams, translating
them into truly original creations
that are designed with wit and
realized using the finest materials
and craftsmanship.
By RADHINA ALMEIDA COUTINHO
“Luxury and mobility have
always appealed to Hermès.
The art of travel is a
cornerstone of what we do.”
AXEL DE BEAUFORT Director of Design and Engineering at Hermès

2. functionality, the artistic direction, the materials used –
when it comes to the emotion, it’s the craftsmen and the
act of its creation that builds the element of emotion.
Would you say luxury and mobility lie at
the heart of Hermès?
Luxury and mobility have always appealed to Hermès.
The art of travel is a cornerstone of what we do as a
design house, you see it in the Hermès chariot, our
harnesses, saddles and trunks, and today you see it with
the cars, yachts and jets.
As a trained naval engineer you come
from a technical background. How do you
balance the engineering requirements with
the aesthetic considerations?
I have a dual background in engineering and design
and I believe they are both equally important. One of
the reasons why Hermès harnesses have always been
considered superior is precisely because of this. It’s
not just the strong artistic talent involved in their
creation but the ability to truly understand how the
object will be used. You cannot push the boundaries
of design or resolve a problem without understanding
functionality. Many people think the engineering aspect
is not comparable to the artistic process, I think it’s the
opposite. If you don’t understand the engineering side,
you are always dependent on someone else to tell you if
something is or isn’t possible.
Do you prefer the role of the dreamer or
the doer? Which role do you think is
more important?
I like both roles. I believe the two are very important.
I love to dream – when you can come up with crazy
ideas, when everything is open, when there are no limits
and you can think about all the possibilities or go in
any direction.
But ideas that cannot be realized remain dreams. The
process of understanding how to realize a dream is
the true cornerstone of the creative process. You can
imagine anything, but without thinking about how it’s
achievable the creative act isn’t complete.
What is the typical timeframe from
conceptualization to delivery of a bespoke
Hermès request?
When a client comes into our atelier with an idea or a
concept, we first create a brief and a quotation which
can take about a month. Then the artistic process
begins. The artistic proposal can take between one to
three months. Once the artistic proposal is approved, its
realization can take anywhere from six to ten months.
The time taken from commissioning a project to its
delivery varies with its complexity. For an object you
can carry, for instance a bag or a trunk, or certain items
of furniture, the process usually takes about a year.
For a more complex mobility project, like upholstering
a boat, or a jet, or the fit-out of a vintage car it can take
a year and a half to two years. We have been working
closely for many years with our French partner
tanneries that have developed specific anilin yet
aeronautic and nautical compliant leather that we use
for such projects.
What is it about leather products that
make them such an essential element in so
many Hermès bespoke creations?
Leather has been a part of the DNA of the house of
Hermès from the very beginning.
When you look back at the road Hermès has taken
since 1837, we have undertaken a process of continually
improving the leather we use. Some of the elements
have remained the same, the saddle-stitching technique
for instance is the same as that used when we began
working on leather products more than 150 years ago.
The way we work is very authentic, but the knowledge
has been built and improved continually.
We rely on the skills of individual leatherworkers,
that’s why we say that no two Hermès bags are exactly
alike. Leather is a living material and each bag is made
individually by a master craftsman – they are not made
in an assembly line. Our craftsmen love what they
do, there is emotion involved in the creation of each
Hermès product.

3. “Leather has been a part of the
DNA of the house of Hermès
from the very beginning. When
you look back at the road Hermès
has taken since 1837, we have
undertaken a process
of continually improving the
leather we use. The way we
work is very authentic, but the
knowledge has been built and
improved continually.”
Do you collaborate with artisans outside
of Hermès if the requirements of a project
are very unique?
There is a core team of about 25-30 people dedicated
to the bespoke work that we do, but we involve anyone
within Hermès who can provide an answer that would
resolve the requirements of a particular project.
The team that works on each project is very transitional
because we call upon the talent of the entire house
of Hermès. We have a huge team whose artistic and
technical skills we can rely on. The bespoke design
team undertakes this effort of coordinating and meeting
the different artisans who could advise on a specific
element of the project, however minor. It’s a process of
constant dialogue.
If a very specific skill is required, we do collaborate with
external artisans. For instance, we worked with wicker
artists on a recent project. You may think the material
is very simple, but the technical skills involved were
amazing. We also worked on a skateboard recently and
the special woodworking skill required was not one that
was found within the in-house team, so we employed a
craftsman who could build that element.
When we look for people with whom to begin a working
relationship, we look for someone who shares the values
of the house and employs authentic methods.
Can you tell us more about where the
different objects are made?
Most of our leatherwork and smaller projects we keep
in our workshop at our flagship store in 24 Faubourg
Saint-Honoré, Paris. The larger projects such as the jets
and yachts have particular technical requirements and
regulatory standards that need to be met, so we work on
those in our workshops in Pantin on the outskirts
of Paris.

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What are some of the most eccentric or
fun objects commissioned?
We created a pair of boxing gloves in H-red, vermilion
and white Swift calfskin a while ago and that was a fun
project to work on. It was fun because it showed how
the vision of the client can be interpreted innovatively.
Another fun project was a green lambskin apple case
stretched over a stainless palladium shell. I don’t think
the client thought the case would be made in the
shape of an apple, he was probably expecting a
box-shaped case.
What makes something le sur-mesure
Hermès?
There is a lot of thought that goes into the creation of
each project, even before we get into production. Every
element, the individual for which it is being created, his
or her likes, the materials, the colors, the artisans who
will realize the project… we always try to create
an emotion.
Most importantly with every project we try hard
to bring an element of fantasy. After all, what is life
without a bit of fantasy?
“With every project we try hard
to bring an element of fantasy.
After all, what is life without
a bit of fantasy?”