Singapore, May 2016 – I was excited to see that after months of renovations, the Hermès flagship in the Lion City has revealed its new face. It is modern, sophisticated and fresh!

The flagship at Liat Towers is located on the famous shopping belt, Orchard Road, and is the largest of the four boutiques in Singapore. The four floors of shop space houses scarves, leather goods, menswear, women’s wear, furniture and home accessories. The top floor is  Aloft at Hermès, one of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès’ five art spaces around the world.

When I dropped by today, the shop was packed with tourists, and orange boxes seemed to be constantly floating out of the shop.

With an interest in architecture, I found it fascinating to see the statue waving Hermès scarves – known as “l’artificier” (the firework-maker on horseback) – atop the Singapore flagship. The statue is a replica of the one at the top of Hermès’ Paris flagship – 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, which was made for the maison‘s 150th anniversary. (source: CEO Axel Dumas and Laura Jacobs “From Hermès to Eternity” for Vanity Fair 2007)

As you can see in the photo from 2013 (below), there was no l’artificier statue. The new façade somehow adds a new dimension and provokes one to view the architecture from various perspectives.

From the interior, the shop is a lot brighter and more welcoming as one can see the bustling Orchard Road through the larger windows between the oddly slanted dividers.

And of course, I found the perfect angle to appreciate the architecture – at the corner where l’artificier was facing me.

I wonder if architect, Rena Dumas (wife of Jean-Louis Dumas, former Chairman of Hermès and great great grandson of the company’s founder) or her firm was involved in “The Metamorphosis of the Hermès Shop” in Singapore.

All photos were taken by Mrs. King.