Petit h: Small Wonder

Its name may be a nod to the luxury-synonymous capital H, but the alliterative thinking behind Hermès' Petit h capsule collection is emphatically R-focused: reclaim, review, recreate. The atelier is the brainchild of Pascale Mussard, a sixth-generation member of the Hermès family who was motivated to breathe new life into materials discarded from the mother company’s workshops. The sustainability centered endeavor sees the leather crafters, seamstresses, silversmiths, and crystal and porcelain artisans of Hermès come together with outside talents (designer Adrien Rovero and artist Marjolijn Mandersloot among them) for a high-end recycling project. Repurposing materials that don’t meet Hermès’ strict standards (leather trimming that has fallen from the cutting table, glass containing an air bubble, silk with the tiniest flaw), the Petit h lab has developed a rare, one-of-a-kind selection of design statements created from the cast-offs. Offerings from the range include a vintage model airplane finished with black matte crocodile skin that doubles as a valet tray; a gold, near-life-size fawn fashioned from buffalo skin; and crystal and leather dumbbells. The menagerie (whose contents range in price from $70 to $70,000) is transported via caravan for pop-up stints in Hermès boutiques throughout the world, and will next travel to Osaka and Tokyo in spring 2011, followed by New York and Beverly Hills in fall 2011.