WHIMSICAL BEAUTY

The house of Hermes redefines upcycling with Petit h’s latest stopover in Singapore.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

The house of Hermes redefines upcycling with Petit h’s latest stopover in Singapore.

A section of the Hermes store along rue de Sevres was set up to showcase Petit h’s collections.

Seldom has a studio been given free reign to create anything it can, with no brief in mind. Yet that was exactly what the design team at Petit h was told, when the little atelier was established, close to Hermes’ larger leather workshops, in Pantin on the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. 

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An artisan at work inside the Petit h atelier in Pantin.

The only requirement, or rather its sole purpose set by founder Pascale Mussard, was to turn leftover materials that the maison no longer needed into beautiful and functional works of art. 

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Tools and equipment strewn all over the craftsmen’s desks in the workshop.

Since its establishment in 2010, Petit h has gained a cult following among design lovers and Hermes’ (dubbed the big H) regulars. Despite the fact that every item in the line is produced from discarded materials, such as silk scarves with weaving irregularities or even python skin with a crooked scale, the resulting novelties are highly sought after. 

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The storeroom in the Petit h workshop stocks plenty of discarded materials in excellent condition.

Limited quantities of each creation are produced, from the unpredictable range of scraps and leftover materials available, making them even more worthy of collecting. Now under the helm of artistic director Godefroy de Virieu, it is interesting to see what surprises Petit h presents.

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Creative director of Petit h, Godefroy de Virieu.

SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 2010, PETIT H HAS GAINED A CULT FOLLOWING AMONG DESIGN LOVERS AND HERMES’ (DUBBED THE BIG H) REGULARS.

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1. A round clock finished in crocodile skin and presented on a wooden stand.

2. Leather chameleon charm.

3. A magpie box in leather covering.

4. A pony bag in leather finish.

5. A hopscotch pad in leather.

6. Leather charm with a chair silhouette.

7. A chest fashioned in the shape of a dog.

8. Chair upholstered in crocodile and taurillon calfskin.

9. A pig plush toy in mink and crocodile skin finish.

10. A whimsical bag presented on wooden legs.

11. An aluminium and leather side table.

12. A leather charm in the silhouete of a dragon.

13. Another imaginative object comprising a bag on legs.

14. A leather charm in the silhouette of a tiger’s head.

15. A leather pedestal table.

16. A pig plush toy in wool finish.

17. A leather coat hook.

VISIT THE PETIT H UNIVERSE

The latest Petit h collection is making an iconic stop in Singapore, where the various creations will be presented in a delightful universe inspired by the garden city’s rich source of fl oral and fauna. In the first space, the visitor moves around a planet populated by organic forms, a veritable reservoir of materials. A second space, with a brilliant light passing through, evokes a futuristic workshop. The scene is set, and the essence of Petit h flows intrinsically: an abundance of materials and ingenious processes give rise to useful, and often surprising, objects.

The Petit h collection is available at Hermes until 15 December, 2019. Visit Hermes at Liat Towers, 541 Orchard Road or call 6738 9807 for information.

Photos ALEX PROFIT (thumbnail) / EUGENIA SIERKO-ROUCHON (first) / EUGENIA SIERKO-ROUCHON (second, third) / RIP HOPKINS (fourth) / STUDIO ROUCHON PARIS (17 products)