Photo Courtesy of Hermès
The horse rider is flying up in the sky between clouds and stars on the 2022 Hermès Bolduc ribbon! Along with the iconic horse carriage logo, the luxury French Maison unveils its annual theme of the year “Vive la Légèreté! Lighthearted!”. Lightheartedness often alludes to people who show good, positive and cheerful spirits and are not being burdened by hardship or distress.
In the 2022 spring/summer season, Hermès reissues its most famous carré Brides de Gala in 90cm Marble Silk which is made in Japan. The Hermès catalogue provides the following information: “Based on the design of the Brides de Gala scarf created by Hugo Grygkar in 1957, the Brides de Gala scarf needs no introduction. Its numerous reinterpretations – Fleuries, Love, Bayadere, Shadow, Finesse and many others – exemplify the timelessness of the original design that has continued to embody the elegance of Hermes for over six decades. Two ceremonial bridles from the second half of the 19th century face one another. The meticulous architecture of the design accentuates the delicate chiseled decorations, coats of arms, foliage and mermaids, as well as the work of leather.”
Photo Courtesy of Hermès
Hugo Grygkar (1907-1959) was the first Hermès carré designer and he produced over a hundred designs in his career with the French Maison. To celebrate Hermes’s 100th anniversary in 1937, he created the first Hermès carré “Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches”. The carré was based on a woodblock print by Robert Dumas, the son-in-law of Émile Hermès. In 1957, while Robert Dumas laid two ceremonial bridles on the floor, the bridles’ beauty inspired Hugo Grygkar to create the Hermès carré Brides de Gala. He passed away on February 22, 1959, due to kidney disease that he suffered for a long time.
Photo Courtesy of Hermès
The original version of Brides de Gala depicted two different horse bridles in a symmetrical composition arrangement, the bridles connected to each other with leather reins. The bridle on the right was specifically designed for the Mexican emperor, Maximilian of Austria. It featured figures of mermaids emerging from Horns of Plenty and it is the collection preserved in the Émile Hermès museum at that time. The left one was decorated with the elaborate arms of the Cometes de Ferronays. To date, Brides de Gala is well known for its unpredictable metamorphosis and transformation since its birth. Its iconic elements are widely used on reinterpreted carré versions and other products such as bags, ready-to-wear, bracelets and bangles, shoes, hats, hair clips, beach towels, cushions and ashtrays etc.
In the 2022 Marble Silk version, Brides de Gala bursts into the eye-striking Kyoto Marble flower on bee Jacquard silk. The intricate bee patterns are woven directly into the silk, rather than embroidered or printed on the woven fabric. In 1752, the Jacquard loom inventor Joseph Marie Jacquard was born into a master weaver’s family in Lyon, France. In 1801, Jacquard earned a bronze medal for his invention at the Exposition des produits de l'industrie française in Paris. Later, the silk weavers fiercely opposed the improved drawloom technique, riots broke out in Lyon, and the production process returned to the traditional loom. In 1804, He developed the Jacquard loom. After Jacquard’s revised loom was introduced, violence escalated. In 1840, Six years after Jacquard’s death, a statue was erected to him in Lyon, on the site where his exhibit loom was destroyed in 1801.
There are many extraordinary Jacquard carrés that Hermès has issued over the years. Such as Kenya with leopard print Jacquard; Plumes et Grelots with Holly Jacquard; La Cle des Champs with Ex-Libris Jacquard; En Piste with stars Jacquard; Fetes Venitiennes with mandolins Jacquard; Jouvence and Luna Park with fireworks Jacquard; Guepards with horse heads Jacquard, Napoleon and Jungle Love with bees Jacquard etc. Since 2003, the most seen Jacquard patterns on the Hermès Jacquard carrés are the horse head and the bee.
Mark Nepo writes: “The flower doesn’t dream of the bees. It blossoms and the bee comes.” In four decades of operating, the Kyoto Marble didn’t foresee and expect the opportunity to cooperate with the world's most valuable luxury brand. The unique silk marbling technique is considered world heritage, and it attracted the discerning art curators of Hermès.
Hermès spent over a decade in searching and rediscovered the almost forgotten silk marbling technique in a historical city in Japan: Kyoto. In the 12th century, the technique was used on marling paper in Japan, then it spread to Europe and was applied to fabric eventually. In 1963, the father of the Nose (pronounced no-say) family travelled and studied silk printing techniques in Germany. Later he introduced it to Japan. According to the Youtube video on Hermès’s channel, “There is no written method, Mr. Moriyoshi is one of the last marble print masters who knows the technique in the world. The company prospered, but its collapse was brutal. The staff left the workshop with only a few family members remaining...” Moriyoshi Nose insists on operating the Kyoto Marble workshop and enriches the know-how with his family over 40 years.
Since 2018, Hermès and Kyoto Marble have produced five Marble Silk carrés and other Marble Silk products in different formats. The selection includes Flowers Marble Silk 90cm in Spring/Summer 2018, Balade en berline Marble Silk 75cm in Autumn/Winter 2019, Robe du Soir Marble Silk 90cm in Spring/Summer 2021, Marble Ex-Libris 90cm cashmere/silk in Autumn/Winter 2021 and Brides de Gala 90cm in Spring/Summer 2022, twilly, doll twilly, muffler and fringed muffler etc.
The composition arrangement of Brides de Gala Mable Silk is divided into four squares; several arrays of the solid and hollow sections make the carré look similar to a piece of Japanese paper-cutting art. In the squares at upper left and lower right, the bridles and their reins are transformed into white silhouettes and lying on the solid flamboyant background. The bold and vigorous brushstrokes create a dynamic glow illumination effect and embrace the horse bridles and reins. The slim marble stripes with dense feathery brush strokes at the corners drag the viewer’s eyes back to the content and urge their brains to continue to explore the details of the carré.
In the upper right square, the signature Kyoto Marble flower that appeared on the 2018 Marble Silk carré is substituted for the upper part of the Mexican emperor’s bridle. The bright gradient paints cover the gigantic flower where the gesture and movement of the hand generate the shape. The gradient blending technique creates smooth transitions between colours and shows subtle value changes in the flower petals. In a diagonal position, the feathery patterns are meticulously superimposed from one layer upon another to form the bottom half of a bridle and its reins.
The contrasting arrangements can be found in all four squares, such as the line, space, colours and texture. The energetic brushstrokes act like the peony thrives in a creative world. The emotion of the artist poured out like a tidal wave. The lilac and livid colour palettes on the wide borders endowed the explosive energy with calm strength, like the clam waves lightly slapping on the rocky shoreline after a storm. This masterpiece of art is filled with divine enthusiasm and fiery passion. The sophisticated details describe the master’s endurance and inner peace of mind.
The future is unpredictable, and with great determination and passion, Hermès, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, Hugo Grygkar and Kyoto Marble march fearlessly ahead with faith and optimism. Like Mr. Moriyoshi said: “When the results turn out very close to the given drawing sketch, I am filled with happiness.” True happiness is an immersive feeling that everything is good inside. Brides de Gala Marble Silk reflects all these legendary masters' good, positive and cheerful spirits, not burdened by hardship or distress.
Mark Nepo writes: “The flower doesn’t dream of the bees. It blossoms and the bee comes.” In four decades of operating, the Kyoto Marble didn’t foresee and expect the opportunity to cooperate with the world's most valuable luxury brand. The unique silk marbling technique is considered a world heritage, and it attracted the discerning art curators of Hermès.
Hermès spent over a decade searching and rediscovering the almost forgotten silk marbling technique in a historical city in Japan: Kyoto. In the 12th century, the technique was used on marbling paper in Japan, then it spread to Europe and was applied to fabric eventually. In 1963, the father of the Nose (pronounced no-say) family travelled and studied silk printing techniques in Germany. Later he introduced it to Japan. According to the YouTube video on Hermès’s channel, “There is no written method, Mr. Moriyoshi is one of the last marble print masters who knows the technique in the world. The company prospered, but its collapse was brutal. The staff left the workshop with only a few family members remaining...” Moriyoshi Nose insists on operating the Kyoto Marble workshop and enriches the know-how with his family over 40 years.
Photo Courtesy of Hermès
Since 2018, Hermès and Kyoto Marble have produced five Marble Silk carrés and other Marble Silk products in different formats. The selection includes Flowers Marble Silk 90cm in Spring/Summer 2018, Balade en Berline Marble Silk 75 cm. in Autumn/Winter 2019, Robe du Soir Marble Silk 90cm in Spring/Summer 2021, Marble Ex-Libris 90cm cashmere/silk in Autumn/Winter 2021 and Brides de Gala 90cm in Spring/Summer 2022, twilly, doll twilly, muffler and fringed muffler etc.
The composition arrangement of Brides de Gala Mable Silk is divided into four squares; several arrays of solid and hollow sections make the carré look similar to a piece of Japanese paper-cutting art. In the squares at upper left and lower right, the bridles and their reins are transformed into white silhouettes and lying on the solid flamboyant background. The bold and vigorous brushstrokes create a dynamic glow illumination effect and embrace the horse bridles and reins. The slim marble stripes with dense feathery brush strokes at the corners drag the viewer’s eyes back to the content and urge their brains to continue to explore the details of the carré.
In the upper right square, the signature Kyoto Marble flower that appeared on the 2018 Marble Silk carré is substituted for the upper part of the Mexican emperor’s bridle. The bright gradient paints cover the gigantic flower where the gesture and movement of the hand generate the shape. The gradient blending technique creates smooth transitions between colours and shows subtle value changes in the flower petals. In a diagonal position, the feathery patterns are meticulously superimposed from one layer upon another to form the bottom half of a bridle and its reins.
The contrasting arrangements can be found in all four squares, such as the line, space, colours and texture. The energetic brushstrokes act like the peony thrives in a creative world. The emotion of the artist poured out like a tidal wave. The lilac and livid colour palettes on the wide borders endowed the explosive energy with calm strength, like the clam waves lightly slapping on the rocky shoreline after a storm. This masterpiece of art is filled with divine enthusiasm and fiery passion. The sophisticated details describe the master’s endurance and inner peace of mind.
The future is unpredictable, and with great determination and passion, Hermès, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, Hugo Grygkar and Kyoto Marble march fearlessly ahead with faith and optimism. Like Mr. Moriyoshi said: “When the results turn out very close to the given drawing sketch, I am filled with happiness.” True happiness is an immersive feeling that everything is good inside. Brides de Gala Marble Silk reflects all these legendary masters' good, positive and cheerful spirits, not burdened by hardship or distress.
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