The French fashion house brought the Hermèstories show to the Franco Parenti Theatre in Milan to celebrate its almost 190 years of existence. It did so in a way that only it can: by overturning the obsessive-compulsive paradigms of contemporary life. The result? A game of roles between the surreal and the poetic, set in a very, very French atmosphere
By Luca Fumagalli
Do not trust the title of this article. Or rather, do not trust its obvious tautology. Do not do so because we are talking about Hermès, which, with the theatre project staged in Milan last September, has once again decided to reaffirm the most obvious dimension of its identity. That, ça va sans dire, is to make its own history, without chasing anything or anyone, giving time to time. Above all, in terms of communication methods, by overturning the obsessive-compulsive paradigms of contemporary life. All this is the Hermèstories project, presented at the Franco Parenti Theatre in Milan from 11 to 21 September 2025.
Staging the luxury of Hermès
We were there and witnessed a show that we can well understand, which left some people disappointed or dissatisfied. Unlike most of the audience who – free of charge, it should be noted – flocked to every performance, allowing themselves to be seduced by a totally analogue narrative model. Apart from the decision – functional to the immersion in the sound world of Hermès – to equip each person sitting in the audience with a pair of headphones, there were no special effects. It was all ‘artisan intelligence’, a definition that we do not even feel the need to explain. What does need explaining, however, is why we wrote ‘sound world‘. Here it is: the set design and the acting of the two actresses would make little sense without director Pauline Bayle’s decision to reserve a space on stage for ‘Monsieur Bruit’, a sound effects artist.
Disrupting the obsessive-compulsive paradigms of contemporary life
He is the one who, live, gives sound and voice to instruments, materials and work objects from the maison’s ateliers, producing surprising acoustic effects (enhanced by listening through headphones). Objects that, as Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director of Hermès, explains, are ‘witnesses to a long history of patience, inspiration and precise gestures, intertwined with happy encounters and curious anecdotes. They tell the story of a family maison and the people who make it up, from artisans to boutique staff, not forgetting customers. They represent the lively and daring side of creation, always careful to reinvent itself without ever repeating itself’. After all, ‘creation without memory does not exist’, as Jean-Louis Dumas often said: Hermèstories is its joyful staging’.
The story of Lad
This action takes place in the boutique that has been the heart of Hermès since 1880. The one on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, which is still the maison’s headquarters today. Hermèstories tells the story of a squire named Lad. In other words, ‘the iconic equestrian figure of Hermès, played by a young woman. The character embodies the liveliness, modernity and heritage of the fashion house founded in 1837, according to a press release. Hermèstories is also the tale of a narrator and the characters Lad meets at the historic Parisian address on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré as she wanders aimlessly on a late afternoon. Together, they outline the contours of an enchanting world that materialises on stage.”
The moral of the story
What we witnessed was a sort of fashion fairy tale. Told with a lightness that was at times happily alienating, reminiscent of the atmosphere of the film “Il favoloso mondo di Amélie”. At other times, we found ourselves in the dreamlike vision of Georges Méliès. At all times, however, we were certain that Hermès had ‘conjugated its present in every tense’, as the fashion house explains in the programme. ‘The characters dance in an endless present‘ in ‘a bold dialogue with time‘.
A conversation that continues in the theatre foyer, visiting a museum-like exhibition that houses all the objects featured on stage. ‘This adventure,’ concludes Hermès, ‘would not have been possible without the artisanal savoir-faire that brings the creations to life. From leather goods, with the timeless Kelly and Birkin bags, to silk, with brightly coloured scarves reminiscent of jockeys’ uniforms at horse races. All the diversity of the maison’s 16 métiers is represented here.” The moral of the story: chapeau.
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