What exactly do we mean when we talk about “luxury”? Is it possible to define its contours or, like other terms belonging to the world of aesthetic philosophical speculation, is it condemned to be confined to the area of subjective judgements?
An authoritative opinion on the subject comes from prof. Stefano Zecchi, former professor of aesthetic philosophy at the Statale di Milano, who in his work "Il Lusso" (Mondadori), attempts to examine the theme by highlighting which are the aesthetic processes that transform common objects into luxury goods.
Thinking of luxury, the mind generally creates a link to the amount of money necessary to acquire it, but the author warns us that the purchase of the expensive object is insufficient to get out of a coarse and insensitive taste. Zecchi's basic thesis recalls the need for an aesthetic education that makes it possible to understand what the canons of taste, beauty and style are and what were the most significant stages in the course of the history of aesthetics. This in order to avoid the blunders and misunderstandings of a taste full of theatrical gestures aimed exclusively at the display of vanity and wealth.
The author adds that in the luxury object an important part is played by elite craftsmanship which, with its ability to excel, manages to create an extraordinary form of symbolic communication of the artefacts. It follows that the language of luxury is a "cultural style" that is understandable to those who know both the rules of aesthetics and the technique and expertise with which objects that can aspire to become icons are created.
It was precisely in the context of these reflections that I participated in the event organized by the maison "Hermes" at the suggestive "OGR", Officine Grandi Riparazioni in Turin, an industrial space from the end of the 19th century now converted into cultural moments.
“Hermes in the Making” is a traveling and interactive exhibition, in which some of the maison's artisans are present with their “tools of the trade” and show their savoir-faire in working with the finest materials. With their expertise, they transform leathers, silks and precious metals into objects designed to last, to be repaired and passed on as a precious family heritage.
For my professional deformation, among all the mini-ateliers available, I concentrated on the silk-screen printing technique with which the famous and iconic "Carrè Hermes" scarves are produced. Among the measured explanations of the technical chief and a little attentive eye, it was possible to discover many fundamental aspects of this aesthetic combination of quality and luxury.
Serigraphy (sericum, silk and gràphein, to write) is a printing technique that derives its name from the silk screen stretched over a frame on which well-defined areas are delimited which allow the permeation of the colored paste and therefore the color of the scarf placed under the screen printing frame.
Each screen-printing frame allows the application of a color and, in other words, as many screen-printing frames will have to be created as there will be colors that will define the design of the scarf. Bear in mind that the creation of these paintings is an extremely complex operation that requires the utmost precision because, through a process of exposure of special photo emulsions to ultraviolet light, the parts that will "designate" the shapes of a given color are defined.
Each painting corresponds to its tone, so the paintings are meticulously defined and superimposed in sequence until the final design is represented. From here the project passes to the printer who will have to choose from no less than 75,000 shades; it may also take 50 trials before arriving at the definitive palette of colors that will make up the design.
Subsequently, each scarf is printed rigorously by hand, in order to be able to act with a lot of customization. Using a "racla" (a spatula the height of the screen printing frame) the colors are spread and impressed one by one on the silk twill of the foulard. Depending on the hand and the skill of the printer, it will be possible to obtain more or less "pasty" and dense colors.
To give an idea of the richness of the chromaticity of the print, bear in mind that silk-screen scarves are generally printed in a dozen colours, while Hermes carreaux contain on average 25/30 colors reaching 48 in a special series from a few years ago. It is no coincidence that the number of colors that make up the design is a very important factor in determining the value of the scarf.
Founded in 1837, the maison produced the first carré a century later in 1937 and since that date it has launched 10 new patterns for summer and 10 for winter every year. This means that collectors can choose from a history of 2200 different patterns, each of which has the name of the design, the signature of the maison and copyright rights.
Color in scarves is a fundamental aspect, because when it is worn around the neck, the shape of the design disappears and the language of organic chromaticity appears, which must be extremely sophisticated; in fact, the choice of the volumes of the designs and relative colors is the subject of a very careful selection.
Last detail, all Hermes are rigorously finished by hand with a 15 millimeter hem around the entire perimeter of the accessory and with a very peculiar technique that requires that the border is created by turning the reverse side over the right side, a detail that can times to reveal the innumerable fake copies.
A matter of luxury for connoisseurs.
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