Hermès opens a new expanded store in HCMC's Union Square

Hermès is delighted to announce the opening of a new duplex store within the Union Square in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, on the 16th September 2022. The dual-aspect unit spans on two floors, a significant expansion from its former location in an adjacent unit, allowing visitors to explore all 16 Hermès métiers - including, for the first time, the beauty offering. The new store occupies a noteworthy corner spot in Ho Chi Minh city's vibrant District 1, overlooking both the city's grand 19th-century opera house and the tranquil Lam Son Square. 

Conceived by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI, the store opens directly onto the historic Dong Khoi Road. Its distinctive façade integrates woven wooden panels which offer a subtle nod to Vietnam's artisanal weaving tradition and ensure light filters into the store. Inside, the space is characterized by a bold use of colour, which pays homage to local craftsmanship as well as the house's enduring savoir-faire. The palette draws on the classical French architecture of the city as much as the vibrant shades of the local landscape. 

Stepping into the store from the Dong Khoi Street entrance, guests are greeted with a striking display of women's silks, followed by the jewellery and perfume collections leading to leather goods beyond. A bright mosaic floor set with the emblematic Hermès ex-libris creates a cheerful atmosphere, inviting to discover the equestrian and homeware collections to the right. To the left, a sweeping staircase in tobacco-coloured stone with rusty-red metal railings and a leather-wrapped double handrail dissipates light through the space and leads to the second floor. 

Ascending the stairs, visitors discover a wooden version of the carré "Pégase Paysage" by Christian Renonciat, lacquered by local craftsmen, before being embraced by the rosy-toned environment that houses the women's ready-to-wear collections. Progressing to the airy jewellery and watches department leads to the men's ready-to-wear and the shoe collections. A warm ambiance is created by brightly hued carpets in patterns inspired by undulating rice terraces, with marmorino walls in terracotta shades for women and copper-yellow shades for men. Intimate spaces allow for surprises: the women's spacious fitting room, for instance, is lined in embroidered azure-blue fabric with dots of bronze, giving the impression of sparkling water. 

A series of custom windows by the Vietnamese sculptor Thai Nhat Minh have been commissioned to inaugurate the new store. Born in Vinh Phuc province, north of Hanoi, Thai Nhat Minh's work typically explores the simplification of form to capture emotion and spirit. For Hermès, the artist has created a typically animated work incorporating traditional paper flowers from Thanh Tien village in Phu Mau commune, which is renowned for making paper flower offerings, in particular lotus flowers. Featuring a "flower horse", a three- dimensional model of a horse made of paper, and submerged in a magical, surreal, and romantic world, the vitrines perfectly encapsulate the meeting of Hermès's equestrian heritage with Vietnam's traditional craft. 

An unabashed impulse for colour informed by the local landscape and an equally enthusiastic embrace of traditional craftsmanship ensures that this Hermès store will enchant both local clients and new guests alike. 

Since 1837, Hermès has remained faithful to its artisan model and its humanist values. The freedom to create, the spirit of innovation, the constant search for beautiful materials, the transmission of savoir-faire of excellence, and the aesthetic of functionality all forge the singularity of Hermès, a house of objects created to last. An independent, family-owned company which encompasses 16 métiers, Hermès is dedicated to keeping the majority of its production in France through its 52 workshops and production sites and to developing its network more than 300 stores in 45 countries. The group employs more than 18,400 people worldwide, including more than 11,500 in France, among whom more than 6,000 are craftsmen*. Axel Dumas, a sixth-generation family member, has been Hermès CEO since 2013. 

Founded in 2008, the Fondation d'entreprise Hermès supports projects in the areas of artistic creation, training and the transmission of savoir-faire, biodiversity, and the preservation of the environment. 

* As of 30th June 2022 

Find out more about Hermes here 

Me by Canali
An evolution in Made-to-Measure

Me by Canali was born out of Canali's ever-growing desire to put the customers at the center, enabling them to live an exclusive experience and indulging their desire for uniqueness. 

With Me by Canali the brand to changes the purchasing perspective: it is no longer a matter of imagining a series of garments that can satisfy the customer, but of directly involving him in the creative process, allowing him to create his own garment or, an absolute novelty, his entire wardrobe that perfectly reflects his personality and style as well as that of Canali.  

Originally the service revolved around the sartorial part of Canali's offer, now it expands to include the more casual segment with knitwear, outerwear (both fabric and leather) and denim, all customizable in both materials and details: buttons, leather label, inserts, lapels, linings, piping … 

Thanks to the expertise of its Made to Measure (MTM) specialists around the world, Canali can offer an impeccable Made to Measure service that represents the best expression of both formal and casual products. 

For each garment, you can select the pattern, fit, and materials as well as a wide range of finishes. With a selection of about 500 fabrics including permanent and seasonal fabrics for the formal collection, 10 knitwear patterns for 3 yarns (cashmere, cashmere-silk-wool, and Sea Island cotton) in 20 colors, 250 shirt fabrics and 20 different collars, in addition to outerwear and denim, the customization possibilities are countless. 

Me by Canali is available in all Canali boutiques, where an MTM specialist takes care of the entire garment creation process. Once every measurement is taken and all details defined, the information is sent to the Canali laboratories in Sovico (IT) so that pattern makers can design the garment that will then be made. After about four weeks and an additional fitting session, the customer will be able to wear his very personal Canali creation. 


To establish and maintain an ever closer and more constant relationship with customers, each season those who are most loyal to the bespoke service are sent a customized kit, different and unique for each, with a selection of fabrics that reflects their preferences especially chosen for them by their trusted MTM specialist. 

Me by Canali promotes responsible consumption: creating your own made-to-measure wardrobe, with quality fabrics and the possibility of repairing clothes or changing their size, means extending the average life of garments and making a positive impact on consumption. 

Mr. Thomas Rebaschio, an Italian Made-to-Measure specialist, will be in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24 & 25, 2022 to provide this service. To book an appointment, please contact Canali Boutique HCMC at L2-24&25 Union Square, 171 Dong Khoi, District 1 - (028) 3636 8994. 

Find out more about Canali here 

The Art Exhibition of Post Opulence by Rolls-Royce HCMC

“Post Opulence” is a distinct expression of luxury in the new age of Rolls-Royce. This design philosophy removes the external glamor in favor of the owner's inner calm and quiet. 

“Post Opulence is the latest trend of design as well as lifestyle in general, this will be the beginning of a new design style in the future.” 

 

What Is Post Opulence’s Design Language? 

The modern world is witnessing a significant shift in the lifestyles of High Net Worth (HNWI) and Ultra High Net Worth (UHNWI) individuals. The age of collectors and owners, especially of the Rolls-Royce brand, is getting younger daily. It is accompanied by a change in perspective, life perspective, and aesthetic gout. The current view of beauty focuses on experiences that are personal, less flashy, and highly applicable in life. Minimalism is becoming increasingly popular after the historical changes in the world, not only in the car industry but also in many other fields of art.  

Post Opulence is a distinct expression of luxury in the new age of Rolls-Royce. This design philosophy removes the external glamor in favor of the owner's inner calm and quiet. "Post Opulence is the latest trend of design as well as lifestyle in general; this will be the beginning of a new design style in the future." - Alex Innes, Head of Coachbuild at Rolls-Royce.  

 

 

But minimalism at the hands of Rolls-Royce design engineers is not simply omitting details but a long research process so that the perceiver can understand to achieve a refined beauty. Economical and pure – no frills, no frills. Minimalism is consistently expressed from the form of the exterior to the interior, smoothly combining a modern technological trend with centuries-old heritage values. Those are pure, elegant, and sophisticated works of art but still have a unique personal impression.  

When designer Henry Cloke came up with the idea for the New Ghost project, the team had to revise the definition of "Post Opulence" countless times. Cloke recalls: "As a designer, I envisioned the New Ghost to be like London's The Shard against the classical Baroque buildings opposite. It is absolute minimalism, created by the skillful light application, not flashy or ostentatious. This is also what our designers want."  

To do that, Rolls-Royce had to make significant changes, such as manual welding of the aluminum body. Each beam of light reflected on the shell will become parallel bright fringes, running along the length of the Ghost. This is also the premise for creating the unique visual effect of Ghost with a slim, no-frills body. 

 

“Post Opulence” Through The Eyes Of Young Artists 

On July 29, Rolls-Royce Ho Chi Minh City held an intimate event that also involved fashion, photo art and culinary art. 

Empathizing with the Post Opulence design language on Rolls-Royce New Ghost, talented young designer Nguyen Hoang Tu created the Purity collection. The ten samples in purity are ten poetic perspectives honoring the beauty of Vietnamese women: Queen, Zero-Waste Symmetry, Grace, Breeze, Grace, Corner & Line, Mirror Mirror, Still, Substance and Outlier. Honoring the purity of the material, instead of sophisticated decoration, designer Nguyen Hoang Tu has approached in the direction of "simplifying" every detail, from the cut to the seam. His designs are no less attractive because of that; on the contrary, he skillfully combines the extremes of hard and soft, curved and straight, simple and complex. To achieve simplicity in look, the designer had to think a lot to reduce the number of cuts and seams and put them in the right place. The purity collection created by designer Nguyen Hoang Tu is an extension of Post Opulence thinking in fashion.  

 

 

"When looking at the style towards purity - Post Opulence that Rolls-Royce designers put on the New Ghost logo, Tu came up with inspirations to create the "Purity" collection. The simplicity here is not the usual, but the complexity is refined even more, leaving out what is unnecessary to honor expensive details and design techniques. Shining forth." – Designer Nguyen Hoang Tu. 

Photographer Harry Vu captured the moments between Nguyen Hoang Tu's Purity and Rolls Royce New Ghost in the photo series of the same name - Purity. Arranged as pure moments flashed by in the blink of an eye, the series has "movement in stillness" no matter what you look at it - coming together to deliver visual arts gifts, from fashion to photography. The idea to develop the concept of this photoshoot was inspired by the "blinks of eyes" when standing in front of surprising beauties, as well as to feel the beauty of minimalism that sometimes requires very sharp eyes and details, and it is also the intention that young photographer Harry Vu sent.

Find out more about Rolls-Royce Motor Cars here.

Bulgari Eden The Garden of Wonders 

Welcome to the realm of wonders. Bulgari invites you to discover an extraordinary world of marvels, boundless creativity and unrivaled mastery with the launch of its latest High Jewelry and High End Watches collection Bulgari Eden The Garden of Wonders. 

Consisting of over 140 masterpieces, the collection includes for the first time in the Bulgari history more than 30 creations dedicated to the magnificent emerald. This stunning tribute to the Maison’s long-standing affinity with the exquisite gemstone boasts some of the most extraordinary wonders of nature ever brought to light, representing an ode to eternal splendor. 

Interpreted rather than just emulated, nature delivers an endless territory of imagination that only human mastery and Bulgari’s aesthetic sense can sublime into true works of art. 

A perfect example of this uniqueness, the Emerald Glory piece is an unparalleled high-jewelry creation, whose texture reproduces the softness of lace. Designed with transformability in mind, it can be worn as a necklace, or as a tiara, and it also features a detachable choker. This piece, that required over 3000 hours of handwork to be fully completed, shows an incredible layout of 11 pear-shaped Colombian emeralds surrounded by a cascade of diamonds, totaling over 220 carats. 

As its name suggests, the collection evokes a breathtaking universe, where the majesty of mother nature expresses itself in its rarest and most beautiful forms and meets the most sophisticated human creations in a continuous, prolific dialogue. 

While Rome’s magnificence continues to inspire and amaze the jeweler’s works of art, the legendary Serpenti sign, an icon of power and audacity, epitomizes the concept of a creative endless transformation, shining and seducing through sinuous silhouettes and tactile textures. Celebrating the idea of metamorphosis, the Serpenti Spinel Embrace necklace, crafted from pink gold and diamonds, wraps around a 25,70-carat drop-shaped pink spinel from Tajikistan;  while in the Serpenti Ocean Treasure,  two snakes fuses into one, creating the platinum and diamond necklace, featuring a twisting  movement that holds an exceptional 61,30-carat drop-shaped Sri Lankan sapphire. 

BLOSSOMING COLORS 

Bulgari, the master of colored gemstones reaches new heights of color experimentation with this new collection, juxtaposing to signature chromatic matches with unprecedented daring yet utterly elegant pairings. Like nature awakens after the long winter sleep, a jubilee of wonderful flowers blossoms on the Flowers of Eden necklace, which perfectly epitomizes the collection’s richness.

Extraordinarily lightweight, this outstanding creation, injected with versatile dynamism, exudes grace and feminine beauty through its sinuous shapes and amazing combination of vibrant shades. Intentionally asymmetric, highlighting the spontaneity of nature, tourmalines, carnelians, amethysts and emeralds joyfully surround three impressive mother-of-pearl flowers enriched with diamonds. Handcrafted using an ancient mold technique and wax tablets, this piece required 1,500 hours to be completed. 

MAGNIFICENT NATURE 

Incredible gems, the rarest and most sublime gifts of nature, that from their eternal origins in the innermost depths of the Earth, are now glorified by Bulgari with a unique mix of craftsmanship and imagination. The skilled hands of the jeweler’s goldsmiths interpret superb ideas combining design and a rigorous architectural approach giving shape to dazzling pieces, offering a unique mix of refinement, comfortable fit and ultimate versatility. 

Emeralds, Bulgari’s icons since the Sixties, are the absolute protagonists of the Tribute to Paris necklace, that celebrates the artistic bond between two of the most exceptional cities in the world, Rome and Paris. Sparkling as the most glamorous Parisian nights, this piece, that required 2,000 hours to be handcrafted, features an incredible 35,53-carat oval- shaped Colombian emerald surrounded by exquisite inlays of emeralds and diamonds evoking the slender silhouette of the legendary Tour Eiffel. Balancing movement and weight, Bulgari’s artisans succeeded at delivering a harmonious necklace that, despite the unique preciousness of its gems, is soft and lightweight, guaranteeing a perfect fit. 

Designed to amaze, the Mediterranean Reverie necklace is one of the most precious creations ever realized by the Roman jewelry house. An ultimate fruit of Mother Nature’s magnificence, a rare 107,15-carat cushion-cut Sri Lankan sapphire, stands out on this necklace with its intense yet transparent blue shade, that immediately evokes the hues of Capri’s Blue Grotto sea cave. Exuding timeless elegance, the piece shows a sophisticated chain combining platinum, baguette-cut sapphires, as well as an array of diamonds different cuts, from brilliants and pears to pavé sets. 

 JOYFUL WONDERS 

Bulgari’s boundless and unstoppable creativity expresses into new striking forms in a range of pieces, conveying a bold message of extravagance and vibrant vivacity.    An example of refined, elegant flamboyancy, the Emerald Venus necklace shows a unique, dynamic, intentionally irregular design inspired by the Capelvenere, a  type of Mediterranean fern whose Italian name, translating with Venus’ Hair, a tribute to the Greek goddess of beauty. One-of-a-kind branches of emerald beads and diamonds grow around an impressive 20-carat Colombian octagonal-cut emerald, that astounds not only with its unique color, but also with its sophisticated balance. Impressive, but lightweight, this necklace reflects Bulgari’s unique, vivacious take on feminine grace. The stunning creation is part of a set that also includes a matching outstanding high end watch, where emeralds are paired with baguette, pave and round brilliant-cut diamonds. The timepiece, that required 900 hours to be crafted by five different artisans, features the white gold dial covered with an unexpected mint green tourmaline for an extra special touch.