Home Couture

For the longest time, elite fashionistas have lusted after the Hermès Birkin bag or the slightly more attainable Kelly. But long before that, the well-heeled had already been amassing the French luxury brand's "Home Universe" - accessories for the home, made with the same eye on luxury and craftsmanship as when it started making harnesses and saddles some 180 years ago.

From tableware to full-sized sofas to even the smallest accessories such as a mouse pad or pencil holder, everything is made by Hermès craftsmen, which is what makes it so expensive and yet sought-after, says Helene Dubrule, general manager of Hermès Maison.

She was in Singapore for Through the Walls, a special installation featuring the 2017 Hermès Maison collection at its Liat Towers store. The exhibition is a celebration of the home - using the collection of Hermès past and present - executed through the eyes and curatorial skills of deputy artistic directors Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry. Unlike other fashion houses which may also have a home department, Ms Dubrule says, "at Hermès, we do everything ourselves, from the design, to even the production, such as the tableware. There is no licensing involved. We take control, right down to the distribution."