Notes On The Wings of Hermès

Director Jaco van Dormael, set designer Sylvie Olivé, choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey, and writer Thomas Gunzig brought to life Pegasus & The Quest for the Seven Sources of Lightness, a live show composed of seven deeply moving vignettes inspired by the brand’s theme of the year, lightness, which could be interpreted as weightlessness at first glance, but the brand invites its Miami audience to consider it as an emotional state too.

Each scene is filmed in real time, right in front of the audience, and projected onto large screens above the stage. It is theater, choreography, behind-the-scenes cinema, and puppetry all rolled into one, and a masterclass in creative collaboration.

Vignette II, The Flight of the Migratory Gloves, tells the story of gloves that, when the climate gets too warm, instinctively fly away in search of cooler places where they’re truly needed. It’s absurd and tender. “The presence of hands throughout is important,” said Michèle Anne de Mey in a Q&A that followed Friday’s performance. “Our team had already done two projects [like this one] prior (…), it’s probably the reason why Hermès connected so well with us.”

Another unforgettable moment: the opera-singing Kelly bag puppets. They stole the show with their surreal humour and expressive tiny arms. Diane Mahady, President and CEO of Hermès Americas, explained while moderating the conversation that those specific Kellys are not for sale, but if they were, they would become “hot collectors’ items”, with a laugh. This whole ordeal also speaks of the light spirit of the brand. While many luxury houses take themselves so seriously, trying to be part of the art circles and do their expensive pop-ups during Art Week, here is the world’s most valuable luxury brand turning their bags into funny puppets.

Sylvie Olivé, film set and production designer, said that the Hermès objects are the starting point for the entire show, since this is object theater after all, and that this was the most challenging part as well, the brand granted her so much liberty, they didn’t tell her which objects had to be the protagonists. So she went to many Hermès stores to let the objects speak to her. “That’s how we thought that a Kelly bag could have a mouth; we collaborated with really good puppeteers to achieve that effect.” Unfortunately, Sylvie added, we had to “cut them up.”

Katia Scala and Alessia Fusaro, from Studio Khom, an event and fashion show production agency with top clients like Stella McCartney and Ferrari in Miami and Milan, were deeply moved leaving the show. “I was impressed by the hard work that goes into the details. This is massive work with flawless quality,” said Fusaro. “Also, this show is live,” added Scala. “This is not recorded, and it is so simple, one camera, and everything that ends up appearing on the screen. It’s just magical.”

But perhaps what made the experience most memorable was what wasn’t encouraged: phones. The work simply doesn’t translate on screen. You can’t fully appreciate the intricate choreography of the performers (all dressed in black) or the synchronized magic of the crew behind the scenes through a vertical camera lens. I felt a bit silly lifting my phone to take a picture — and maybe that’s the point.

In a world obsessed with virality, Hermès gave us something else: a moment that resists being captured. Something that must be felt, not filtered. Maybe that’s why they’ll survive the next economic crisis — they’re not just selling products. They’re offering something far rarer: emotion, wonder, and time well spent.

To wrap the conversation, Diane Mahady asked Sylvie what advice she would give to the students in the audience: “Close your eyes and start to dream. Realize what you want to do, open them, and work.” Michèle added: “Choose partners you can count on.”

On the Wings of Hermès is open through April 27. Reserve your spot here.

—Sofía Agostini is the Director of Brand Partnerships at Istituto Marangoni Miami and an independent writer whose work has appeared in Vogue US, Vogue México & Latinoamérica, Paper Magazine, and Vanity Fair Spain, among others. An IMM alumna, she has taught Research Methods in the Master’s in Fashion and Luxury Brand Management program, as well as Fashion Criticism and Digital Writing in the Fashion Styling program.

She wrote these notes dreaming of singing Kelly bags.