It’s an element that’s been inextricable from Hermès’ designs, ever since their origins as a harnesser and saddler in 1837: skin, or rather, leather. It’s always been clear in the brand’s mind that leather is more than just a material. The Faubourg Saint-Honoré label is taking leather’s entire universe and using it to create its language of beauty, resistance, and especially elegance. Idyllic objects are the norm here, since Hermès has made leather its choice material.
So, why not a ball? After making a baseball bat and a jumprope out of leather, the brand is now continuing to think up beautiful and resistant objects for everyday life. And this basketball is no exception to the rule: in veal leather, it is hand-sewn just like the Birkin. This savoir-faire and mastery assure the object such solidness that you can even play with it for real. This led the brand to color the ball, if not in red and black, with a rich blue. The international creative director, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, explains that this blue is the sky, the ocean, and all the beautiful swimming pools in LA and throughout all of California. But get this: only two copies of the ball will be produced. You have to wonder, will it be Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or Tony Parker who ends up shooting hoops with this most stylish of basket balls?
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