Fantastic beasts roam Hermes window display

THE window display of Hermes’ flagship store has been temporarily taken over by mythical hybrid animals. A boar-headed creature with crab pincers and a fish tail. A buffalo with human legs on skis. A jug-headed bat with human hands. All rendered in leather and adorned with Hermes objects and accessories.

The unusual display is the brainchild of Hansol Kim, a 34-year-old creative working at the intersection of art, fashion and contextual design. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kim studied craft at the University of Brighton and finished his master’s degree in contextual design at the Design Academy in Eindhoven – before embarking on a second master’s in Fine Art at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.

Kim says: “I’ve always been fascinated by how objects develop through different social and political cultures. When I was growing up in South Korea, for a long time I believed dragons were mythological beasts endemic to my region. I later learnt that dragons exist in the Western imagination as well, although they have different symbolisms.

“Similarly, when I became interested in craft and fashion, I took an interest in the weaving and patchwork techniques of my country. But later on as I travelled abroad and studied in foreign universities, I found similar classical techniques in other parts of the world too.”

There are many commonalities in various cultures that are not frequently acknowledged, he says. So when he met a member of the Hermes window-creation team, they were impressed by Kim’s investigation of cross cultures, hybrid traditions and the intersection of different object categories.

Kim was then exploring the possibility of clothing as “malleable, fluid entities with sculptural elements – clothing that could be worn but also taken off to become something else without human dependencies”. His graduation showcase in Eindhoven, for instance, comprised leather sculptures that pushed the boundary between clothing and sculpture. Hermes subsequently invited him to collaborate with the brand for its flagship Singapore store’s window display in Liat Towers.

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Kim says: “What I admire about Hermes is its dedication to quality and craftsmanship. When you look closely at each object, you can see the fine details that distinguish it as a Hermes object. And as someone who’s very much interested in how clothing has evolved through various social and political cultures, Hermes’ fusion of tradition and modernity is fascinating to me.” 

Kim’s showcase is on display from now till Nov 28 at Hermes Liat Towers