There are six large jars in Véronique Nichanian’s office, lined up in a row near her desk, where, during idle moments, she can look up and ponder their contents. They’re stuffed with brightly coloured bits of fabric—one has various shades of blue, another yellow, the next greens. They’re mood jars, of sorts. Nichanian is obsessed with textiles and colour, and these vessels, she says, have been with her for years. She pulls a clump of thread from one as if it’s a jewel, and in a sense, it is. If these are the palettes that excite her—a woman with immaculate taste, a fastidious eye and ranging curiosity, who has remained perched atop the menswear tree for nearly 4 decades at one of France’s finest luxury maisons—then they are special indeed.
Nichanian is artistic director of the Hermès men’s universe, a bombastic title with a somewhat prosaic explanation, which is that she designs all the menswear stuff: clothes, bags, shoes, accessories and the like. But it’s how she has done this that intrigues. She’s been dressing chic Parisian males and their counterparts around the globe for 36 years and is the longest-serving creative director in fashion who doesn’t have her name above the shop. Only the Ralphs and the Giorgios of the world have been designing in one place for longer.
But in a sense, Nichanian has also done what they’ve done. When she was appointed by Hermès to take over its menswear division back in 1988, the brand was in the midst of a reinvention by Jean-Louis Dumas, great-great-grandson of founder Thierry Hermès, and was not the pinnacle of aspiration that it is today. Nichanian didn’t lay the foundation at Hermès, but she can claim to have built the temple of its contemporary menswear business brick by brick, starting at a time before GPS, Pretty Woman and the World Wide Web.
この記事は Robb Report Singapore の January 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Robb Report Singapore の January 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Celebrating Traditions
Celebrations: Tradition Reimagined sees the Commune flagship showroom furnished with local artist Goh Beng Kwan's new collage works evoking the zeitgeist of the Lunar New Year.
Resilient In The Extreme
Here’s how some architects are tackling the challenges of climate change.
Building Blocks
CEO of retail investment start-up BigFundr, Quah Kay Beng, on starting small and thinking big.
Food For Thought
Didi Gan, co-founder and managing director of biosciences start-up N&E Innovations, on staying the course and making a real impact in the sustainability industry.
The Woman Behind the Hermès Man
For 36 years, Véronique Nichanian has supplied the exacting creative vision for the storied French house's menswear. Her secret: navigating the space between fashion and style.
All Dressed Up, Everywhere To Go
Drawer the Daytona—a small, slim dress watch is the discerning wristwear of the moment.
Jewel In The Crown
Bvlgari’s Lvcea watch looks more radiant and sensual since its debut over a decade ago.
Deeply Committed
More than a year after the Titan disaster, interest in deep-sea submersibles hasn't just returned-it has flourished.
First Class On Four Wheels
Recline in an oasis of relaxation or have a private business meeting on the go—the four-seater LM 500h from Lexus ticks all the boxes.
Making Waves
Noam Bounekala, a 27-year-old upstart hotelier, turned a business-school idea into an impressive network of private villas. Next up? A Michelin star.