HERMÈS PETIT H: When the unexpected becomes an art form in Dubai

A horse that doubles as a bookshelf. A terracotta jar wrapped in leather and silk. A mirror that brings cork and crystal into an unlikely conversation. At Hermès, these are not the results of an eccentric design brief. They are the creations of petit h, the house’s most experimental métier, where the materials come first and the objects follow.

From 5 to 20 October 2026, petit h returns to Dubai Mall with a collection of inventive objects and a scenography conceived by its Creative Director, Godefroy de Virieu. The exhibition offers a glimpse into a corner of the Hermès universe where craftsmanship is approached with unusual freedom, and even the smallest fragment of material can become the beginning of something extraordinary.

THE WORKSHOP WHERE IDEAS BEGIN BACKWARDS

In Pantin, on the outskirts of Paris, there is a materials store unlike any other. Its shelves hold silk, leather, porcelain, crystal and countless other fragments that have travelled from the different Hermès métiers. They are not defective materials or forgotten remnants. They are pieces of exceptional quality that have simply not found a place in their original production process.

For petit h, this is where the creative adventure begins.

Founded in 2010 by Pascale Mussard, a sixth-generation member of the Hermès family, the workshop reverses the traditional logic of design. Instead of imagining an object and sourcing the materials required to make it, artists and artisans begin with what is already there.

A piece of leather might suggest an entirely unexpected function. A fragment of silk could become part of a household object. Crystal and cork, materials with little obvious reason to meet, might find themselves sharing the same design.

There is something wonderfully liberating about this approach. The material is not expected to follow the idea; it is allowed to inspire it.

Under de Virieu’s creative direction, this exchange between artists, designers and artisans has become the defining character of petit h. The resulting pieces can be amusing, peculiar or surprisingly elegant, but they are never arbitrary. Behind every improbable combination lies the technical precision of the Hermès workshops.

A HORSE, A CLOUD AND A FEW HAPPY ACCIDENTS

The objects travelling to Dubai offer a particularly vivid introduction to the petit h imagination.

Take Cheval sur roues, a horse-shaped bookshelf created by designer Liz Stirling. Made from ash wood, calf leather and a colourful Rocabar wool blanket, it takes Hermès’ equestrian heritage in an entirely unexpected direction. The horse has become furniture, yet somehow retains all its personality.

Stirling’s Nuage collection takes a softer approach. A pillow, eye mask and slippers combine silk, goatskin, wool felt and H canvas, transforming familiar travel essentials into a playful exercise in texture and colour.

Then there are the Cristal Terrazzo containers by Nicolas Daul and Julien Demanche, which bring together crystal, terrazzo and cowhide. Their contrasting surfaces turn an everyday vessel into something closer to a small design curiosity.

And perhaps one of the most expressive pieces is the Patchwork jar, where clay meets calf leather and silk. Its bright, layered surface seems almost to celebrate the unlikely encounter of its materials.

These objects are amusing, but the joke is never the whole point. Their charm comes from the fact that they work. They are functional pieces, designed with the same attention to quality and detail as the rest of the Hermès universe, even when their appearance suggests a moment of creative mischief.

A CARPET THAT REFUSES TO LIE FLAT

For the Dubai presentation, the spirit of petit h extends beyond the objects themselves.

Godefroy de Virieu has transformed an entire floor of the Hermès boutique into a winding landscape of palm leaves and metal supports. Described by the house as a carpet of variable geometry, the installation rises, dips and twists through the space, creating an unconventional route for visitors to follow.

It is a clever choice of material. Palm leaves carry a long history of craft in the region, yet here they take on an almost architectural presence. A traditional material becomes a contemporary structure, just as the objects displayed around it take on lives their original makers might never have imagined.

The installation is not simply a backdrop. It becomes part of the experience, drawing visitors through a succession of unexpected encounters.

There is no need to approach the exhibition with the solemnity usually reserved for precious objects. Petit h invites curiosity, amusement and a closer look at how things are made.

THE BEAUTY OF WHAT ALREADY EXISTS

In a luxury industry often preoccupied with novelty, petit h proposes a different starting point.

Its creative process depends not on an endless supply of new materials, but on the possibilities hidden within those already available. What might seem like a limitation becomes an invitation to experiment.

Yet petit h is not simply an exercise in resourcefulness. Its objects are intended to be beautiful, useful and repairable, with the potential to be passed from one generation to another. The unexpected combinations may catch the eye, but it is the craftsmanship that allows them to endure.

Perhaps that is the most interesting thing about petit h. It reminds us that imagination does not always require something entirely new. Sometimes, all it takes is a change of perspective — and the willingness to see a bookshelf where everyone else sees a horse.

Hermès petit h is open to the public from 5 to 20 October 2026 at Hermès, Dubai Mall, Fashion Avenue, Level 2, daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Text: Editorial team
Courtesy: Hermès