While everyone else is busy chasing trends and working hard to look cool, Hermès doesn’t need to. In its Spring/Summer 2027 collection, the clothes are sexy, slightly naughty and, somehow, always elegant. The maison has never needed to shout to make an impression: the luxury is there in the way the clothes move. In her latest collection, Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski takes that idea one step further, designing for air itself. Not air as a moodboard idea, but air as something real, something to catch, let through and play with.
The set was completely white, making every colour stand out. Bright orange and yellow seemed to glow against the clean background. It was the perfect setting for a collection built around air because the white space left nowhere for the clothes to hide. All eyes were on the way they moved. And they moved. One of the looks that immediately stood out was a neutral trench with a belt and wide fringes at the hem that moved with every step, allowing air to pass through the coat as the model walked. Vanhée-Cybulski brought the same idea to a brown leather dress with openings at the neckline and eye-catching fringe set against a yellow lining. It’s a simple detail, but it completely changes the feeling of the garment, making it look lighter and more open.
The idea behind the collection is practical. After the very hot summer Europe has just had, Vanhée-Cybulski wanted clothes that would let air move through them instead of keeping it out. Backstage, she described the collection as a balance between pragmatism and freedom: “We need to breathe, we need to expand.” The skirts made that idea especially clear. Open the zip and one skirt can become a mini, a longer style or something in between, turning one piece into several. The knitwear approached the idea more softly, with cream and red dresses so light and fluid that the body could breathe. Here, practicality never comes at the expense of style. The standout was a yellow dress with a technical design, small leather details running down the shoulders and tabs at the waist. It captured what the collection does best: turning function into something beautiful while using leather as a detail rather than something heavy.
Leather is one of the foundations of Hermès, and this is where the collection becomes especially interesting. Vanhée-Cybulski’s leatherwork is already one of her signatures, but here she makes it feel lighter without taking away its strength. Fine strips of leather are embroidered onto mesh to create a graphic pattern, while coats and jackets in ultra-fine calfskin sit neatly on the shoulders, feeling light and structured. Some looks feel almost architectural, while others fall softly around the body. It’s a beautiful contrast, but also a clear evolution of what Vanhée-Cybulski already does so well: taking the codes of Hermès and making them feel lighter, fresher and more relaxed. “We are Hermès,” and the clothes make that clear. Nothing here needs to prove it.
The accessories complete the looks rather than simply decorating them. Belts, one of the house’s strongest equestrian signatures, return as key pieces, while cords help control the shape of the clothes, tightening or loosening them as needed. The bags follow the same idea of movement, ranging from roomy carryalls to slim, compact shoulder bags. A nod to the archival Mangeoire appears with a metal handle, while openwork bucket bags pick up the graphic pattern seen throughout the collection.
Colour became one of the show’s main stories: whites and soft blues, followed by earth tones, beiges and browns, before orange and sunflower yellow brought a final burst of warmth. The beauty look followed the same feeling of lightness, with fresh, satin-finish skin, wild brows giving the face structure, a soft wash of white on the eyelids and a fresh pink lip.
So where does this leave Hermès under Vanhée-Cybulski? Somewhere calmer, lighter and more confident. The house doesn’t need to prove how strong its heritage is; it would rather show how easily it can carry it into the future. Craft and class, as ever.
