Antoine Platteau has been the decorator in charge of the window displays at Hermès’ historic flagship store since 2014, a job that often goes unrecognized. Issued in with the decline of fairs and the initial emergence of commerce at the end of the Middle Ages, the very first shops provided a window through to the merchandise inside. The windowfront as we know it today first appeared in the 1800s. This was the era in which Hermès first set up shop in the heart of Paris on the Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Its windowfront attracted the gaze of many a passerby and became a comprehensive part of the theatrical goings on in the city’s streets – that’s why the saddler’s window displays have such a special status even today.
At the crossroads of art and craftsmanship, this artist is given complete freedom to undergo his creations. Succeeding the enchanting Annie Beaumel and the limitless fantasy of Leïla Menchari, the Faubourg Saint-Honoré windows are now being taken care of by Antoine Platteau. Le Miroir in the town of Poitiers seized the opportunity to retrace this new decorator’s trajectory, leading straight to the window displays of Hermès’ historic flagship store. A compulsive designer with a passion for shapes, fabrics, textures, and colors, Antoine Platteau is exhibiting two years of his work that’s orchestrated like a dialogue between creations from guest artists and those from the brand’s own artisans. This work is made to be gawked at by passersby! Feathermaker Marcy or basket-makers from Vilaines-les-Rochers, close to the town of Tours, vie for the most ingenious and fabulous creation. For the first time, these exceptional skills will be on display from June 19th to September 18th 2016, at the Chapelle Saint-Louis in Poitiers.
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