When you think about harnesses in fashion, you may be thinking about BDSM. About dark techno clubs. Hedonism and the desire to escape from reality. But what if harnesses became elegant? Timeless? Feminine? Mature? With their Spring/Summer 2026 collection, Hermès proved that this is possible in a logical, beautiful and even poetic way: A tribute to its beginnings as saddlers and to the quiet power of leather craftsmanship.
What that means becomes clear once you look at the Maison’s history. So, to truly fall for this collection, you have to go back — back to the days when an ambitious Thierry Hermès arrived in Paris and opened his first workshop near the banks of the Madeleine. Back to a time when the city’s elite moved through the streets in horse-drawn carriages, and Hermès provided the finest equestrian gear to accompany them. You have to look at a family that built a legacy on precision, patience, and a near-obsessive love for detail. A House that evolved with industrial change – through times when trains and automobiles gained popularity – shifting from saddles to suitcases, from bridles to handbags, from carriages to high fashion.
Only then, after bringing all this to mind, does the collection start to make sense. Because what Hermès presented during this season’s Paris Fashion Week was an empowered, emancipated horsewoman. In a wild marshland. With salty air and loose reins. A woman who is dressed nonchalantly, seemingly effortless, artful, and still in a way that honours this history. She’s fierce and she’s protective. A spirit that was fully embraced through the show’s unique venue: the Garde Républicaine — the historic home of the military corps responsible for guarding the city of Paris.
So, it’s no wonder that one of the key elements of the collection was leather: suede. Hand-waxed. Quilted. Shiny like latex. Textured. As bermuda shorts or tops. As jackets and boots. As bags and as skirts. In beige, camel, chestnut, navy, black. In olive, mustard, tangerine, and plum. Combining these different kinds of leather can be tricky — not everyone can make it work. But in this collection, the different layers, shapes, and colours created a warm, sophisticated palette. Like a modern-day kind of armour.
If you were to read the four elements into this collection, leather would be the fire: controlled, powerful, glowing beneath the surface. The earthy tones and the sand-covered floor grounded it all, anchoring the looks in quiet strength. The silk scarves – those iconic carrés – moved with the wind: draped and twisted into fluid tops, restrained by leather harnesses and brassieres, printed with bold motifs. The water ran quietly beneath it all: sheer nautical knits, asymmetrical hems, a Mediterranean blue that whispered between looks. The story of this horsewoman unfolded in a world of storms and drought. Where the wind howls against a quilted jacket. Where dust coats rise and fall like sails in battle. Where linen canvas breathes, cycling shorts move, and suede shields the skin. Her bags? Carried close. Ready for whatever terrain she might face.
And yes, let’s talk about the bags. The Kelly, worn low on the hip in royal purple suede. The classic Birkin in soft camel, resting easy in the crook of a model’s arm. But also new icons in the making: a standout horseshoe-shaped shoulder bag, held confidently in hand, finished with Hermès’ signature clasp. Sleek bucket bags in grained or smooth black leather. A floral silk top-handle number that could brighten any monochrome outfit. A playfully oversized sack dangling from Alex Consani’s hand like a modern talisman.
With the final look – a black, quilted leather ensemble, sharp and sculptural – the show drew to a close. But the story doesn’t end there. After all, Vanhée has now led Hermès for a decade, and her vision continues to evolve with quiet confidence. She doesn’t shout. No, she refines. And with this collection, she reminded us that even something as historically, or even sexually, loaded as the harness can be rewritten into something elegant, empowering, and sophisticated. Thierry Hermès would be proud for sure.
