Hermes has relocated its flagship around the block, to 706 Madison Ave., with a grand opening to the public scheduled for October 3.
The 20,250 square-foot store is a union of New York dynamism and Parisian elegance places service at its core for an enhanced retail experience, portraying the creative spirit of the house through Hermès’ 16 métiers, and a collection of artworks from both established and emerging artists.
706 Madison fuses three existing buildings connected by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI, led by Denis Montel. The central structure, completed in 1921 in the Federalist style as an outpost of the Bank of New York, anchors the southwest corner of its block. The adjacent buildings, former townhouses (one on Madison, the other on 63rd Street) meet in an L-shape encasing the Bank. The interiors take inspiration from New York’s Art Deco past and from the earliest Manhattan skyscrapers.
The store unfolds in a series of salons, each distinctive and boasting its own unique elements. Carefully chosen materials that blend perfectly with the atmosphere, such as stucco, straw marquetry, various wood finishes, leather and handcrafted wallpaper are among the store’s distinctive features. The new boutique employs a palette of warm neutrals – ivories, beiges, light browns – with injections of vibrant hues, which intensify from floor to floor.
Two Madison Avenue entrances beckon shoppers, each opening onto an Hermès ex-libris, and beyond it, a remarkable staircase. On the Bank side, a tile floor in Hermès’ signature mosaic leads to the original staircase with brass balusters, now restored, connecting the first and second floors, while the coffered ceiling derives from the Bank’s original design. As they enter from the primary townhouse side, visitors will discover a small Hansom cab, from the 1830s and borrowed from the Émile Hermès collection.
Traversing the space’s speckled terrazzo floor illuminated by the traditional Grecques lights, customers encounter the store’s focal point: an arresting stone staircase that runs all the way to the fourth floor. The 49-feethigh supporting wall acts as a vertical gallery for a carefully selected artwork collection. The wall features a painting by French artist Antoine Carbonne, depicting a vibrant nature scene; several photographs with an equine theme; as well as reproductions of Hermès’ scarf designs, including Centered Rhyme de Elaine Lustig Cohen, Faune et Flore du Texas by Kermit Oliver, and American Quilts by Aline Honoré. To celebrate the opening, a special colorway of the latter scarf has been designed, along with other exclusive objects including several Kelly bags, a Bolide bag, two special watches, Hermès H08 Madison and Arceau Madison, a jukebox, and a bicycle. For the occasion, Brooklyn, New York-based artist Mike Perry has created a window display with a joyful, kinetic spirit. Perry also designed the temporary stickers that adorned the windows through the construction process.
The ground floor houses, on one side, salons for fashion jewelry, the silk universe and perfume and beauty, and on the other, men’s silk, leather goods and equestrian collections. The Bank staircase leads to the second-floor men’s universe. The third floor features the women’s collections and a bar, while the fourth floor also offers bars and women’s leather goods.
