On The Record

For its latest installation, Hermès picked a potent combination of fashion and music that’ll never go out of style

- Abhishek Mande Bhot

Late last year, the prominent Hermès flagship in Mumbai’s Horniman Circle transformed into a plush record store with striking vinyl sleeves lining the walls of the gargantuan space. Christophe Goineau, Creative Director of Men’s Silk, was encouraging the salacious mix of Hermès patrons, editors and influencers who had come together to kick off the three-day installation to experience one of the many dedicated vinyl booths. In one corner, hot duo Madboy/ Mink were performing their signature, heady nu-disco. The moving installation, called Silk Mix, had travelled from Madrid and Rome to New York, Seoul and Beijing before arriving on the shores of Mumbai.

Silk Mix is a result of Goineau’s collaboration with Véronique Nichanian, Artistic Director of the Hermès Men’s Universe, and Thierry Planelle, an artistic director who has composed the soundtracks for all of the brand’s men’s readyto-wear runway shows for the last 15 years. Together, they reimagined the men’s silk scarf artworks as vinyl sleeves and tie designs as cassette tape covers. As a result 282 styles and 64 patterns for scarves and 120 styles and 24 patterns for ties from 16 seasons have found themselves tied to music.

How did Silk Mix come about?