In the world of accessories, Pierre Hardy inspires intense reactions. Retailers love him, shoe collectors obsess over him, and other designers simply envy him. And with good reason: He’s achieved success in both the high-fashion stratosphere and on the mass market—he’s been behind Balenciaga’s headline-grabbing shoes since 2001, and has designed capsule footwear collections for the Gap since 2007. His creative prowess also finds its way into other passions; it’s a lesser-known fact that he’s a jewellery designer for Hermès.
Riding on the success of his role as creative director for Hermès footwear since 1990, he was asked in 2001 to assume responsibility for the house’s core silver jewellery collection as well. “The similarity is in the designing, the drawing,” says Hardy in his heavily accented English when asked about how the processes for designing jewellery and shoes compare. He’s dressed in classic shades of grey and his signature horn-rimmed glasses when we meet in the atelier of the Hermès flagship in Paris. The unexpected darkness of the space is in striking contrast to the still-sunny evening outside, but Hardy will not be cowed by the dusk. Taking a flashlight in hand, he illuminates each jewel.
“The first process is not so different, but all the process after is another planet—different materials, different » atelier and different timing,” he says. “With shoes, if you’ve missed [the moment] you do another collection next season, but with the jewellery, you make it [to last] for years. The philosophy of the product is very different.”
Two years ago, Hermès called on Hardy to pull out all the stops and create an utterly luxe collection named Haute Bijouterie. It consists of 14 dazzling pieces, including diamond earclips encased in smooth rose gold; oversized rings set with truncated planes of black jade or earthy adventurine circled by diamonds; and le Fouet (the Whip), a necklace of 3,669 diamonds set on a platinum cord.
“I was inspired by the heritage of the house of Hermès, and its roots related to the sport of horses,” he says. “It was not yet in the house, this type of high-level jewellery, and everybody at the company thought it was the right time. Because we are not a couture house with a history of tradition, I really had to invent a new way to express this type of jewellery. It was very exciting.”
Although Hardy is no stranger to high fashion, this was the first time he’d worked on anything so luxurious, with no artistic or financial constraints—the price points soar up to $900,000 per piece. “No limitations, although very exciting, is also very scary. Only you know when you are finished. So you cannot have limits—the piece lets you know when you are finished.”
The feel of the collection ranges from chic to playful, but all of the pieces reference Hardy’s desire to marry the masculine with the feminine. “The challenge was to find out how far I could go with the expression of femininity in a masculine setting. I try to avoid the vocabulary of flowery details in all my work, and in order to do this, I have to express sensuality in a simple way.” To wit: The shoehorn-shaped Centaure double ring in pink opal, brilliant diamonds and flattering rose and white gold is feminine in detail, masculine in size. Hardy’s trademarks—bold shapes, clean lines and nods to the equestrian world—prevail in this collection, as in all of his work for Hermès.
The collection will travel to select stores—Asia and Germany this fall, before returning to Paris for the holidays—but the pieces will be available by custom order at Hermès locations. For those seeking to add a slightly less rarified bit of Hermès to the jewellery box, Hardy’s silver collections are also on offer—prices start at $450 for a bracelet. As is typical of all of his bijoux, clean lines, metallic sparkle and chunky volume take centre stage—the perfect combination of beauty and form.
First published in FASHION Magazine June 2010
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