Hermès Is Saving Wild Cats One Stunning Scarf At A Time
Going up for auction on January 8, get your paddles ready ladies
When Hermès creates a scarf for a philanthropic cause, it’s never going to be just any scarf. The storied French house and Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization (founded in 2006 by Tom Kaplan and his wife Daphne Recanati Kaplan) have joined forces to honour the work of wildlife artist Robert Dallet to raise awareness for eight species of big cats: Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, Snow Leopard, Leopard, Cheetah, Cougar and Clouded Leopard.
The two part initiative includes the presentation of Fierce and Fragile: Big Cats in the Art of Robert Dallet at The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut from January 10 to March 13, 2016 — featuring 75 of Dallet’s paintings, drawings, and sketches, presented by Hermès and Panthera.
Additionally, Hermès created six handcrafted one-of-a-kind objects to be auctioned off by Sotheby’s during a gala dinner on January 8, with proceeds directed toward the Robert Dallet Initiative for Wild Cat Conservation. Above is an image of the Hermès Exceptional Silk Scarf: Carré Couture. Using Robert Dallet’s original sketches as reference, eight artists worked in tandem to transpose the design to twenty-four individual printing frames used to transfer the images onto silk twill at the Hermès atelier in Lyon, France. Engraving of the design required 1,400 hours of handwork. Following its printing, the scarf was hand-embroidered with glasswork pearls, crystals and emeralds. The retail price for the scarf is Dhs176,311, but as they say, happy bidding.
Get more info at Hermès’ dedicated site here.
Via Harper’s Bazaar US