A buckle named after its designer
A multi-talented designer,
Pierre Hardy had already been creative director for Hermès shoe collections since 1990 when Jean-Louis Dumas, the imaginative CEO, simply asked him - he's the one who tells it - "would you be interested in making jewelry?"
Jewelry is not Pierre Hardy's area of expertise, but as he says, "I had never made jewelry, but Jean-Louis Dumas was never denied anything.
Thus, in 2001, Pierre Hardy began designing the
Hermès jewelry collections. Nine years later, he launched "haute bijouterie," a simple step towards jewelry and high jewelry.
To Pierre Hardy, Hermès owes, in particular, iconic pieces such as the studded bracelets
Dog Collar or the jewelry with
Kelly clasp. The designer is tirelessly inspired by the
anchor chain, Hermès' historic signature. It is, for him, "at the sources of the House like the harness, the bridle... The chain in itself represents an infinite field. It is the initial jewel, the base.
But Pierre Hardy will also invent a cult object of the House of Hermès, the
Hapi buckle which, you may have understood, bears the first letters of his name and surname.
The Hapi buckle, originally a Hermes braclet
The Hapi buckle is a stylized horizontal H originally found on a
Hermes bracelet, created, therefore, for jewelry. A jewel as Hermès likes them, in Swift or Chamonix calf leather, as found notably on Kelly bags.
This multi-tour bracelet is available in gold, lime, summer pink, black or deep blue with a palladium, gold, yellow or pink plated buckle. It is sold new for 295€.
But the Hapi buckle has quickly moved beyond the sole domain of jewelry to join those of leather goods and footwear. It is certainly an integral part of the
Hermes know-how. It is thus found on pairs of cashmere-lined deer gloves, on which it rubs shoulders with the famous saddle stitching, as created by the House's founder in the 19th century.
Hapi also adorns many of
Hermès shoes, like a signature, from sandals to derbies and ballerinas to mules.
Hermès thus returns to the first love of Pierre Hardy, who in the meantime, in 1999, created his own internationally known House of shoes and accessories, while remaining loyal to the Parisian company that gave him his chance in the world of jewelry.
