After several months of restoration, the doors of the Hermès store in Milan reopen in the via Montenapoleone’s neoclassical building where boundless Parisian inspirations whisper their secrets to the uniqueness of Milanese architecture. For the occasion Hermès has commissioned our studio to create the new ‘vitrines d’artistes’ for the maison’s renovated store in Milan. Baptised ‘Mythological Renaissance’, the four displays are the third shop windows we design for the French artisanal house. The project takes visitors on a journey amidst architectural references and imaginary charms, following the red thread which connects the four sets. The displays have been painstakingly painted and assembled by hand by Italian artisans using traditional materials and techniques.

LABYRINTH PALACE

First window, “Labyrinth Palace”, is inspired by an impossible architecture — a building designed by Piero Portaluppi for the Three Strange New Houses: Project for S.T.T.S. in Milan, Corso Sempione, in 1926 that was never built. Our display takes the form of a facade, depicted as a labyrinth and a metaphoric interpretation of the legend of the Minotaur. Ariadne’s thread leads the way towards a symbolic refuge, that can be a home, a place we feel protected or perhaps the ego.

THE UNKNOWN BEHIND THE DOOR

“The Unknown Behind The Door” is the second window. At the center of the scene we find an open door leading towards an unknown place. Just above, an eye and nose hovering. The objects making up the scene are arranged to form a surreal large face, hinting to the Cyclops myth. Volumes are inspired by Magritte, colors are a reference to the interiors of Portaluppi while the geometrical floor pays tribute to Giò Ponti.

THE NEW THEATER

The third scene “The New Theater”, sees as a protagonist a modern depiction of one of Ulysses’ sirens and is a tribute to Homer’s odyssey. The main character, a half mermaid half megaphone creature is a humorous play on the word “Sirena” which is both the mythological aquatic creature and the warning sound emitted by megaphones to alert Venetians of the “Acqua Alta” fenomenon, a specific memory from Luca’s Venetian childhood.

INFINITY JOURNEY

“Infinity Journey”, the fourth and final window display, follows the thread that ties together the four windows, wrapping around celestial objects and disappearing behind a mysterious door, leaving the end of this tale to free interpretation and continuation…