Hermès' New Beauty Collection Is For Coloring Outside the Lines
Hermès' new collection of eyeliners and lip pencils is the adult equivalent of a fresh box of crayons.
Nestled in a sleek orange box, the gold-capped pencils are, of course, far more luxurious than your standard box of Crayolas. Still, Hermès manages to capture rush of delight our grade-school selves felt when given a brand new pack of art supplies.
On Tuesday, the maison launches Trait d'Hermès, or "the line of Hermès," a collection of eye and lip pencils in a total of 40 shades. According to Gregoris Pyrpylis, creative director of Hermès Beauty, the range builds on the brand's previous release of eyeshadows and colored mascaras. While the prior launch dealt with broad washes of color, Trait d'Hermès is all about lines — the building block of design.
"Lines have been such a strong and important storyteller for Hermès," Pyrpylis told Highsnobiety. "Even our logo... it's actually lines creating a story."
Now, shoppers can create their own story. "My idea was to arrive with a collection that sparks the same kind of fantasy and excitement that we had when we were young kids," Pyrpylis says, reflecting on a simpler time when all we had was our "pencil cases, a blank canvas, and all the freedom to create whatever we want and play with color."
In addition to the pencils, which run the gamut from creamy beige to Yves Klein blue, Hermès also introduces its first liquid eyeliner. Designed with a refillable cartridge, the fine-tipped brush creates a fluid line in the most timeless color of them all: black.
When asked for pointers on how to use the new collection, Pyrpylis encourages users to experiment with unexpected color combinations — for example, pairing "Vert Malachite," a vivid green, with "Bleuet," a bright, sky blue.
"It's an invitation to play with color in a very unconcerned way," Pyrpylis says. "Nothing planned — just be free in your way of expressing yourself."
