A whisper of silk, a flash of colour, a story folded into a perfect square. For nearly ninety years, the Hermès scarf has served as both artwork and adornment. Here we explore the history and enduring appeal of the carré, and the many ways it continues to be worn, collected, and cherished.
The house of Hermès began not with silk but with saddles. Founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès as a harness workshop in Paris, the brand’s equestrian heritage is woven, quite literally, into every carré. When Robert Dumas, the great-grandson of the founder, introduced the first printed silk square, Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches, it was inspired by a deck of horse-drawn carriages. The 90 × 90 centimetre scarf soon became a canvas for storytelling, each design a miniature work of art celebrating travel, history and the natural world.
Every Hermès scarf begins as an original artwork that can take years to realise. The house has collaborated with painters, illustrators and graphic designers whose signatures are discreetly hidden in the corners of their compositions. Artists such as Philippe Ledoux, Françoise Faconnet and Robert Dallet are among the most celebrated.
Each design is hand-engraved onto silk-screen frames, with colours printed one layer at a time in the Hermès ateliers in Lyon. The hems, roulotté à la main, are rolled and stitched by hand, a detail unchanged in nearly a century. Each scarf carries the trace of its maker’s hand, the subtle irregularities of a rolled edge or the faint scent of silk dye, reminders that true luxury begins with touch.
The carré has become a visual archive of Hermès itself, reflecting changing eras and artistic influences. Some designs are reissued across decades, others produced only once. A selection of these designs, being offered in our December Luxury auction, such as Coup de Fouet, Carré en Carrés and Cliquetis illustrate this breadth of expression.
The appeal of the Hermès scarf lies as much in its versatility as in its artistry. Over the years, Hermès has published entire manuals exploring the ways to fold and tie the carré, a ritual that encourages creativity and play.
Folded neatly at the neck, tied into hair, looped around a wrist or framed as art, the carré moves effortlessly from utility to ornament. It has dressed travellers, artists and collectors alike, each finding a new rhythm within its square geometry. The silk’s luminous surface and the precision of its print lend themselves to movement and light, transforming fashion into an ever-shifting composition.
Hermès artists work within a strict format yet achieve infinite variation. The discipline of scale and composition gives the scarf a sense of timelessness, while the meticulous craftsmanship invests it with permanence.
To own a Hermès scarf is to hold a fragment of design history, the trace of a draughtsman’s hand, the precision of a Lyon printer, and the quiet discipline of the craftsperson who rolls each edge by hand. These silks carry stories that cross decades and wardrobes, linking atelier to street, archive to everyday life.
As the year draws to a close, the carré feels like a wonderful gift to give or receive -something to be shared, inherited, or chosen for oneself. Whether wrapped, knotted, framed, or simply folded in its orange box, the Hermès scarf remains one of the most enduring objects of modern fashion. It endures not because it resists time, but because it moves with it – folding history, craftsmanship, and imagination into something that feels perpetually new.
By Julia Gueller, Luxury Specialist
Top Image: Hermès, Silk Carré, The Coup de Fouet design by Florence Manlik, styled in silk twill of ivory, red, orange and brown, measures 90cm square. $300-500
December 2025