Japanese photographer¬†Hiroshi Sugimoto¬†created 20 designs for scarves for¬†Herm√®s¬†as part of the ‘Couleurs de L’ombre’ exhibition – each one produced in a limited edition and is a redesign of the famed square scarves known as Carr√©s. The striking gradient aesthetic for each piece was informed¬†by Sugimoto’s interest in the complex prismatic system of Polaroid photographs that capture the first rays of sunlight in the morning.
The collection is a culmination of a 10 year investigation by Sugimoto, during which he generated an expansive spectrum of colours that have been translated to silk for Herm√®s series -¬†proudly exhibiting hues from brilliant yellows and radiant reds to rich greens and blues. The project is a departure for Sugimoto who is better-known for a signature heavy color palette, with this series aiming to quash the opinion that there are only seven colors and posing the question -¬†’why must science always cut up the whole into little pieces when it identifies specific attributes?’.
Read an extended explanation by the artist and the documenting the process here.
Artistic director of Hermès, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, personally selected 20 of Sugimoto’s Polaroid images to print for the range which debuted at Museum der Kulturen in Basel Switzerland, with the work currently being shown at La Verrière in Brussels until the 29th of September prior to being exhibited  at Le Forum on the 8th floor of the flagship gallery in Ginza Tokyo from November 14th to december 30th.
Images (c) Tadzio courtesy of Hermes – via designboom
