(“La March du Zambèze” scarf. Pic by Ardmore/Hermès)
Luxury French
brand, Hermès, and Ardmore Ceramic Art, based in Caversham in the KwaZulu-Natal
Midlands, have collaborated to launch a new range of patterned scarves.
The first steps in
the partnership were taken in 2013 when Ardmore founder Fee Halsted and her
daughter, Megan Berning, were approached by Hermès designers at a ceramic fair
in Paris. They met with the Paris-based firm and three years later there are
African-inspired designs on the company’s products.
Flocks of brightly
coloured birds and the abundant wildlife found around the Zambezi River has
inspired the first two patterned silk scarves, which come in a range of
gloriously bright and rich colours.
They have been
designed by Ardmore’s artists, including Sydney Nyabeze, under the guidance of
Halsted’s eldest daughter, Catherine Berning, in collaboration with the French
company’s own designers.
The La March du Zambèze scarf features a
central elephant surrounded by other creatures and indigenous flora motifs,
while Savanna Dance shows a vervet
monkey being chased by a leopard, giant King Protea Flowers and symbols of Zulu
culture.
Hermès have also
taken the orange and pink version of La
March du Zambèze, which features decorative elephant and crocodiles, and
created a very chic handbag. It is the first time Hermès have worked with a
South African designer and for Halsted – who, as a young artist, owned a
treasured Hermès scarf which brightened her student digs - it is a dream come
true.
“I am so proud that
an International design company like Hermès chose Ardmore Ceramic art as a
source of inspiration for their 2016 scarf launch,” says Halsted. “It thrills
me to see family, friends and strangers wearing our colourful designs. It is as
if they want to belong and be very much part of the Ardmore story.
“Whenever we go
into a Hermès store in Miami, London, Bangkok or Dubai, it is our artists’
designs that hang in pride of place and the shop assistants all beam with
delight when I tell them we are the designers. They enjoy telling us that the
scarf has sold out and is very popular with customers!” she added.
Hermès was
established in 1837 and today specialises in leather, lifestyle accessories,
perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear items.
Similarly, Ardmore
has expanded from its ceramic beginnings in 1985. Today you can buy napkins,
place mats, scatter cushions, table cloths and runners under the Halsted brand
and a range of chic handbags, designed by Megan. All the products feature
Ardmore’s trademark colourful designs which celebrate Africa’s animals,
insects, birds and plants.
To coincide with
the launch of the scarves, Ardmore will be showcasing a range of ceramics,
inspired by fauna and flora of the Zambezi River basin, at the P.G. Mavros
family’s flagship store in Fulham, London, from May 18 to 28.
There is no Hermès
outlet in South Africa, but the scarves are available online at http://www.hermes.com/
For more information about Ardmore
visit www.ardmoreceramics.co.za
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