Craft is Luxury w/Hermes in NYC

Being invited to work with Hermes at the 2024 American Craft Convening was like being invited behind the scenes at your favorite store. The curtain was pulled back, albeit it not all the way (strategic!), and we were welcomed into the Hermes family, learning their secrets on how they build their famous products, their infamous client base, and how they continue to build at a pace that other luxury brands simply cannot.

So, what is their secret? What makes them different (besides not working with influencers, always innovating at key moments in history, and forever still serving their original equestrian roots)? They believe that craft is luxury. At Hermes the craftsperson holds the most respected role in the company. It takes years (years!) of training to be allowed to make a bag. And even more years to be able to fix the bag. Hermes believes that which can be repaired, is the most luxurious of all. They have a robust after-sales process where customers are reminded about how their product will age and are given tips for how to care for it with the goal of the item having a long life, well beyond the current owner. To them, items made from the land, by the hand, and with the goal of being passed down are the highest form of luxury.

As I sat along side 30 other makers from across America, all of us there because of the commonality among our work as being hand made, sustainable, craft - I learned the most impactful lesson about my work in quite some time: my work is luxury.

And to hear Hermes tell me that - something that I have felt and known about my own work- was invaluable. It renewed my confidence to create with sustainability always in mind, to bring my work into new places and audiences, and to look at constraints or challenges that the world presents as opportunities to shift and see how my work could blossom in those situations.

All in all, being in conversation with Hermes (including their thoughtful and impressive US President, Diane Mahady) for multiple days in New York was a reset I needed in how I was thinking about my work. Being around people who value your work as an artist as well as peers was energizing and magical. Each conversation was equal parts learning and sharing, leaving me feeling empowered. Empowered was how I felt as I walked into our private tour and reception at Hermes Maison Madison on Friday night, wearing my NYC Map Scarf, manifesting that one day my art will be on one of their famous silk scarves.

Hermes has been a dream client of mine since the beginning of Good for the Bees in 2019. The first things I applied for was Le Grand Prix du Carré Hermès: a scarf competition. Although I appreciate my gumption in applying, I am definitely happy I did not get selected back then. I like my work better now - its looser, more confident, and rooted in me, unapologetically. In one of our breakout discussions, we talked about the pressure to keep up with trends and comparison. Peter Malachi, the US Head of Communications told us, don’t think about others- make the work that you are driven to make. As artists and makers our work is deeply connected to us as individuals and with that in mind, there really can be no competition.

You can also watch my three days here. Thank you to Build a Nest for brining this opportunity to life!