Ah, the delectable sensation of sampling a mouthwatering ice cream on a hot summer’s day. A creamy pistachio, a palette-cleansing lemon, a zingy raspberry. Hermès, too, has a particular fondness for sorbet and ice cream. On the evening of Thursday 3 February 2022, the French maison made a pitstop in London’s Clerkenwell, serving up ‘Gelato!', a delicious evening of entertainment, dedicated to the delectable summer-time snack.
On its mouthwatering menu? A multi-layered melange in celebration of artistic director Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski’s S/S 2022 womenswear collection, where guests were treated to custom ice cream and sorbet flavours at a downstairs galeteria. Think bergamot, rhubarb and chocolate, and citrus, plus Sgroppino cocktails hand-whisked with prosecco, rum, lime and Campari. There was even a theatrical performance, with a set and costumes that evoked the tones in Hermès’ spring offering, such as hazel, acid orange and almond green.
Hermès Gelato! we all scream for ice cream
Hermès enlisted set designer Jabez Bartlett to bring its ice cream-inspired location to life, and he whipped up a dreamlike world inside the rooms of Old Sessions House, swathed with cloud-shaped mirrors, candy-striped fixtures, and juicy pastille-like plinths.
The heart of the space featured a conceptual theatre set, with a cheering cyclorama constructed from undulating circular layers in powdery pinks and sunburst yellows. Here, guests were treated to a production conceived by British performance, sound and video artist Georgina Starr, which was eccentric, uplifting and exuberant in equal measure. Think models, musicians and movement artists performing mesmerically with percussion instruments, dancing with abandon and whirling circular discs above their heads, all while sporting S/S 2022 Hermès designs. The word they all shouted with delight? ‘Gelato!'
There was a soupçon of Dadaist theatre to the performance, which also had an uplifting naivety, likened to a production by the Bright Young Things.
Fancy recreating a touch of the Hermès Gelato! event in your own home? We recommend whipping up the maison’s uplifting Marcona Almond Affogato, a sumptuous blend of white almond sorbet, iced vodka and espresso.
INFORMATION
hermes.com
-
Tag Heuer unveils sporty new collections at LVMH Watch Week 2025Tag Heuer has announced a series of new watches at LVMH Watch Week, including Formula 1 and Carrera editions
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA firesArchitecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
-
Sundance Film Festival 2025: The films we can't wait to watchSundance Film Festival, which runs 23 January - 2 February, has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. These are the ones to watch from this year’s premieres
-
Unboxing beauty products from 2024, as seen on the pages of Wallpaper*Wallpaper's 2024 beauty picks included Chanel lipstick, Bottega Veneta perfume and solid soap from the likes of Aesop, Celine, Diptyque, Hermès and Sisley
-
These illuminating fashion interviews tell the story of style in 2024Selected by fashion features editor Jack Moss from the pages of Wallpaper*, these interviews tell the stories behind the designers who have shaped 2024 – from Kim Jones to Tory Burch, Willy Chavarria to Martine Rose
-
Hermès Beauty’s eye and lip pencils invite playfulness with colour and textureHermès Beauty’s creative director Gregoris Pyrpylis has added to the ‘Trait d’Hermès’ collection with a set of eye and lip liners in kaleidoscopic colours. Here, he speaks to Wallpaper* about their playful design
-
The story behind Hermès’ ‘Barénia’, a perfume that took nearly ten years to makeHermès’ ‘Barénia’ is the house’s first-ever chypre fragrance. Christine Nagel tells Wallpaper* why it was almost ten years in the making
-
Sourcewhere is the app helping you find the rarest fashion grailsSourcewhere uses a network of experts and personal shoppers to source rare vintage and limited-edition fashion, from Phoebe Philo’s Céline to Margiela-era Hermès. Here, founder Erica Wright tells Wallpaper* why it’s reflecting a wider change in the way people shop luxury fashion
-
Why solid soap is the most pleasurable object to bathe withSolid soap provides a tactile bathing experience like no other. Hannah Tindle explores why in the September 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, with soaps by Chanel, Celine, Diptyque, and more, photographed by Sophie Gladstone
-
The best sunscreens for your face, selected by the Wallpaper* beauty editorsThis list of the best sunscreens for your face has been compiled by Wallpaper* editors Mary Cleary and Hannah Tindle, who are highly selective about SPF
-
’What is the life of a woman?’: Nadège Vanhée on a decade of womenswear at HermèsFor the past ten years, Nadège Vanhée, head of womenswear at Hermès, has steered the French maison on a quietly rebellious path, exploring notions of contemplation, liberation and sensuality. Speaking to fashion features editor Jack Moss, she unpacks her evolution
