Tanishaa Kunha (left) and Aashika | Photo courtesy: Six Ways to Sunday
As luxury houses recognise the importance of glocal thinking for a market like India, collaborations with household names have increased in recent times. For French luxury house Hermes – which has consistently promoted the fusion of fashion, craft and culture – this has always been easy. The brand’s codes may be steeped in equestrian heritage, but its continued patronage of the arts is also integral. One example: its exclusive window displays, where the brand commissions select artists to transform its storefront into a mesmerising canvas designed to make one stop and take a look.
The artwork is inspired by the architecture of the brand’s iconic stores | Photo Credit: Joshua Navalkar
And if you happen to be visiting Hermès’ new store at Jio World Plaza luxury mall in Mumbai, you can see its latest store for yourself. The store has been dreamed up by sister and mosaic artist duo Ashika and Tanisha Cunha, who have also previously created murals and sculptures for the Ala Moana Center and the Elephant Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hermès celebrates the Faubourg at its historic address at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris all year round, with the sisters using the ancient craft of hand-cut glass mosaics to create their own fairground of joy behind the store’s windows.
After 1,200 hours and 36,000 tiles (a mix of Indian and Italian) on two windows later, the result is an immersive window installation that lets you step into a fantasy world, all taking cues from the architecture of the brand’s iconic stores. A Ferris wheel connected to a staircase with a gilded iron elevator adorns one window. The metal work extends to the next window via connecting stairs and arches. A brightly lit carousel with horseshoe-inspired seats is a nostalgic nod to the quintessential fairground, but customised using Hermes items. says Tanisha
One window is adorned with a Ferris wheel attached to a staircase with a gold-plated iron elevator | Photo credit: Joshua Navalkar
This is not the brand’s first artist collaboration in India, it has previously worked with artists such as Sumakshi Singh and Rushad Shroff. In April this year, Hermes had commissioned designer and filmmaker Aradhana Seth to create a ‘Faubourg in an Enchanted Forest’ window installation inspired by Gond art for the launch of the JWP store.
This latest collaboration with the Cunha sisters was particularly relevant as mosaics have a prominent presence in Hermes stores around the world. “After many in-depth conversations about the stories of the house and the theme of the year, we wanted to create a joyful setting through a balanced geometric play of lines and patterns,” explains Ashika, who works with the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai. “Our idea was to depict imaginary levels with connecting paths made of stairs and arches, inspired by the maze-like structure of the Faubourg store,” says Tanisha.
The project took over 1,200 hours and used 36,000 tiles | Photo credit: Joshua Navalkar
This meticulous process began with digital searches and sketches and patterns, followed by working on the colours of the glass tiles before they were washed and cut by hand. “We both believe beauty lies in curves, so the glass tiles were hand-cut and the process is very intricate,” admits Ashika. The design was then sketched on cement sheets for affixing the tiles. “We used the symbolic codes of the house such as the Art Deco-inspired ‘H Deco’ pattern and the ‘Chain d’anchor’ motif (often used in their jewellery) and recreated it with mosaic tiles,” adds Tanisha. “We are always looking for moments and opportunities that inspire us to pursue our passions, so it has been thrilling to collaborate with a brand that has craftsmanship and creativity at the core of its DNA.”
The windows designed by Aashika and Tanisha Kunha will be on display at Hermes at Jio World Plaza, Mumbai till October 15.
