Hermès’ enthralling new London flagship is a love letter to Britishness

The opening of the Maison Bond Street comes at a time when London needs it the most. In the years since Brexit, there has been a sinking feeling that the United Kingdom is steadily losing its mojo. It’s in this context that, remarkably, this most quintessentially French house has stepped in with profound support, giving London’s retail landscape its most important fillip in years. It wasn’t a practical decision, but an emotional one, say the Dumas cousins. “We love Britain’s quirky spirit, its taste for fantasy, exacting standards, all without taking oneself too seriously: this is precisely what we seek to draw from our English friends,” says Pierre-Alexis. To all of Britain’s naysayers, they have a riposte: not if we can do something about it. Let’s also not forget that Jane Birkin was British.

To cap off the celebration, a grand British garden party was held that evening on the verdant greens of the Hurlingham Club. A 120 performers embodied every inch of classic English culture, playing beekeepers, billiard players, Glastonbury ravers, flannel-draped village cricketers, and pub legends, with a racy dance set by national treasure Fatboy Slim. There was pomp, pageantry, and a touch of brilliant bawdiness. And this astounding—dare I say bonkers—party was another sublime Hermès love letter to Britishness.