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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Winter 2020/2021 54 heritage of Hermès and from cultures around the world. Take, for example, Voyage en Ikat service, which resonates with the old textile know-how found in different parts of the world; the Bleus d'ailleurs service, which evokes the blue used in Chinese porcelain or Delftware; or A Walk in the Garden, a dreamy abstract collection by Irish architect Nigel Peake inspired by English gardens. "e development of a new Hermès tableware collection is always a long process," reveals Benoît-Pierre Emery, creative director of Objets et La Table at Hermès. "Every collaboration is different, and each artist has their own way of working, own creative universe, their own technique, and own tempo." e first step is to determine a theme, after which an important research and development phase follows. "Many drawings are produced in order to find the right note and the most perfect expression possible," says Emery. Passifolia, for example, is a collection released earlier this year adorned with lush botanical illustrations by French artist Nathalie Rolland-Huckel—think fuschia orchids and orange lilies artfully set against the greenery of tropical palm fronds and enormous monstera leaves. "ere is always a drawing that acts as a sample piece," says Emery. "It is important because it will define the style and identity of the entire tableware collection—we work with the artist to come up with inspiration so that they can give life to the project we imagined." From the beginning of the process for Passifolia, it was essential to understand how the scale and composition of Rolland-Huckel's idiosyncratic illustrations would work with the various pieces of tableware. It took almost a year to create a full set of illustrations. "When we create a table service, it can be considered as creating a puzzle," says Emery. "Each piece must have its own identity, it's autonomy and be able to exist when isolated but at the same time be able to fit with the rest." One of the cornerstones of Hermès as a luxury brand is its relationship with craft. e brand began in the 19th century crafting

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