Interview With Legendary Designer Pierre Hardy
The man who has turned jewellery design on its head
By Harper’s Bazaar Singapore Team - published
When Hermès debuted its Haute Bijouterie collections in 2010, Pierre Hardy was fêted for his bold re-imagining of the storied label’s equestrian codes, which encompassed the delicate balance between tradition and bold modernism. Similarly, his latest collection for the series is nothing short of exquisite—a three-set collection inspired by the harness and bridle and reworked into an interplay of leather straps with golden, diamond-set jewels, they drape onto the body and encircle the wrists and fingers to form intricately patterned shapes on the décolletage.
Of course, innovative design is nothing new for Hardy, who has headed the shoe and fine jewellery divisions at Hermès for over a decade, where he has been putting his inimitable stamp on the label’s iconic codes. In fact, innovation is a matter of principle for Hardy. “I'm a pure designer—what interests me is newness. I'm always curious how to express what I love and what I'm searching for in a different way, with a different vocabulary.”
It’s no surprise that Hardy’s architectural approach towards shoe design—honed at fashion houses like Dior and Balenciaga as well as at his eponymous label—has informed the way he approaches the craft of jewellery. Indeed, Hardy’s use of radical shapes and bold graphic details in footwear that resemble mini architectural feats is famous among fashion’s cerebral set.
At Hermès, Hardy’s penchant for pushing the envelope is seen in the design of its Haute Bijouterie collections. Rather than falling back on formulaic flourishes and big flashy gemstones, Hardy has focused instead on a contemporary approach to jewellery design, delivering a different visual impact that catches the eye but also stimulates the mind. In fact, the house even veers away from referring to its collections as haute joaillerie to draw attention to the element of design rather than pomp.
Therefore, just as a Pierre Hardy pump is given a conceptual twist via bold cuboid blocks and curved, seemingly gravity-defying heels to highlight its architectural splendour, Hardy gives Hermès' Haute Bijouterie a modernist slant via clean lines and audacious shapes. Take for instance the debut Centaure collection, where Hardy created sinuous diamond-set golden whips and glossy black abstractions of horse hooves, transforming these masculine symbols of primitive power into elegant pieces with a contemporary edge. "Hermès is not a very precious universe,” says Hardy. “I simply went back to its roots and to the horse's hoof, taking the roughest, strongest, almost radical element and giving it the most feminine, the most modern interpretation."
His second collection for the series followed in the same vein of juxtaposing the raw powered masculinity with delicate femininity, with majestic rose-gold plastron pieces that resemble the texture of a crocodile skin juxtaposed with slender diamond-set bars embellished with colourful gemstones. Yet, despite these ornate qualities, its streamlined and articulated pieces that quiver with every movement exude dynamism and modernity, just a feminine Pierre Hardy stiletto achieves contrast through details such as plastic and mesh in eye-popping patterns, becoming works of contemporary art in their own right.
Indeed, it is this forward-looking attitude that keeps Hardy far ahead of the curve. While building on classics and respect tradition is part of his job description, Hardy has his eye firmly fixed on the future when it comes to his designs. "And maybe someday, in ten years, or a long time from now, they will seem like classics also."
See www.hermes.com for more details on the collection