Marrying technology with timeless style
The morning I met with Jennifer Carter, president and CEO of Hermès Canada, to check out the prototype of the new Hermès Apple Watch was a priceless moment.
First to arrive was the watch, flown in for the occasion accompanied by a muscled security guard carrying it in a black-padded hard case like something from a Bond film.
Then the ever-stylish Carter swooped in with her black crocodile Kelly bag, a model her father had purchased for Carter’s mother back in 1963. The bag still looks so good that when Carter put it down in the store, it was nearly snapped up by a savvy customer who was ready to lay down the cash for the 52-yearold handbag right then and there.
Each with their different baggage, Hermès and Apple seem like the ultimate Odd Couple. Yet the new hybrid result, which manages to fuse the haute of Hermès’ topstitched double tour leather strap rather gracefully with Apple’s stateof-the-art technology face, is as surprising as the fact they ever got together in the first place.
Apple hasn’t paired up with any fashion brand, let alone one founded in France in 1837. For Hermès, it’s the first time in the venerable fashion firm’s history that two names will share the exclusive real estate on the iconic orange box.
And yet, according to Carter, the two brands share the same fundamental values. Says Carter: “Just like Hermès, Apple is all about crafts- manship and innovation.”
To give you an idea of how much Hermès still values its heritage and tradition, the company is now run by the sixth generation of its founders and the bulk of the production of its leather goods is still made by hand in limited runs (hence the wait list for its Kellys and Birkins) — in its own ateliers in France.
If such tradition seems at first glance to be at odds with innovation, consider this: It was Hermès that invented the very idea of a leather watch strap in the first place — a bespoke one at the request Jacqueline Hermès, so she could wear her watch (until then a pocket watch on a chain) on her wrist. Hence the house’s much-vaunted, if somewhat paradoxical-sounding “tradition of innovation.” And of course Apple has taken the very idea of innovation to the next level.
Having weathered the storms of fast fashion and globalization, the latest challenge for a quietly chic brand like Hermès is the emergence of social media and digital engagement.
What is clear is the new generation of the company’s current leadership, in Carter’s words, “aren’t whispering anymore.”
“There is a realization that to continue to grow, even on our own terms, we have to be more visible.”
Say hello, then, to the Hermès Apple Watch. Says Carter, “Now if only I could get some of those Apple guys in a nice Hermès tie.”
This is the first time for Apple to pair with a fashion brand