Hermès opens new London flagship combining six Grade II listed buildings
French luxury fashion house Hermès has opened a new flagship at 166 New Bond Street in London, its largest store in Europe.
Comprising six Grade II listed buildings, set over five floors with 55 rooms and four elevators, it is described by Wallpaper as “a staggering paean to construction and craft”, conceived by architect Denis Montel who started the project with Rena Dumas Architecture Intérieure (RDAI) in 2021.
Photo: Valérie Sadoun for Hermès
Replacing Hermès’ previous London home at 155 New Bond Street, along with its concession at Selfridges, the combined six buildings for the new store consist of 165, 166, 167 New Bond Street, 16 Grafton Street and 22 and 23 Albermarle Street, boasting 2,000 sq meters (21,528 sq ft) of space, which also includes two roof terraces.
Visitors are welcomed into the "spacious" flagship after entering via the seven-metre-high façade, with the entrance area featuring a vaulted ceiling, built to echo the six arches of the store’s windows.
Photo: Valérie Sadoun for Hermès
A path leads them through the 'silk universe' to the atrium, which was originally an outdoor space but now is covered by a new steel and glass roof.
A limestone and glass staircase, with handmade handrail finished in calfskin, connects all of the floors.
Leading up to the first floor is a series of twenty intercommunicating rooms, beginning with those in red hues, which are dedicated to the leather goods collections.
Through the second entrance an 'imaginary orangerie' contains the beauty, perfumes and fashion jewellery areas, featuring walls commissioned from London-based illustrator Katie Scott.
Photo: Valérie Sadoun for Hermès
Much of the new ornamentation, colour and décor was sourced in the UK and commissioned from British craftsmen and artists, including panels of patinated copper, boiserie shaped in straw and horsehair marquetry.
Custom finishes and details combine historic Georgian, Victoria and Edwardian elements, and there’s Lancashire-made textured wall coverings, first developed in Victorian times, traditional wood panelling, ceilings in powder pink mineral mortar, as well as 500 unique artworks chosen by Hermès’ Artistic Director, Pierre-Alexis Dumas.
Photo: Valérie Sadoun for Hermès
Hermès said that with the opening, the house is pursuing its "long-term development strategy based on its creative, artisanal and sustainable model, as well as its multilocal spirit."
It added that it is "delighted" to welcome visitors to "explore this space of boundless creativity and to discover Hermès’ know-how within a joyful atmosphere that resonates with its surroundings."
Founder & CEO at Gag London Equity Capital Ltd and Strategic Luxury Advisor, Armando Zuccali, posted on LinkedIn:
“The store that opens on 16 June is not designed for today's client base. It is designed for the clients of 2035 and 2040 — the ones who will have their first serious Hermès experience in a maison that projects permanence.”
