Hermès launches luxury laundromat for silk scarves

Hermès is encouraging its customers to take their cherished silk scarves to the laundromat.

As it prepares to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its signature silk squares next year, the French luxury firm is launching a series of pop-up spaces, dubbed Hermèsmatic, where customers will be able to dye their old scarves to give them a new lease of life.

The temporary units are launching in Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Munich and Kyoto. Washing machines in the brand’s signature orange color give scarves a blue or pink rinse, and a dryer restores them to their original softness. The process takes 48 hours and is free of charge.

Each space will also feature a store selling scarves in signature patterns drawn from the house’s archives, such as Brides de Gala and Quadrige, and dip-dyed in nine different shades in the Hermès silk workshops in Lyon, southern France.

The initiative is the latest in a series of public events launched by Hermès, which earlier this week spooked markets by announcing it would no longer supply any specific figures for future growth “due to the reinforcement of economic, geopolitical and monetary uncertainties around the world.”

The news sent Hermès shares tumbling, even though the maker of Kelly bags and Cape Cod watches reported a 13 percent climb in net income and an 11 percent improvement in operating profits in the first six months of the year.

Later this fall, Hermès will bring its traveling exhibition of craftsmanship home.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to meet artisans from 10 disciplines at the “Hermès hors les murs” event, due to be held at the Carreau du Temple from Nov. 18 to 26. Launched in 2011, the event has previously been known as the “Festival des métiers.”

The presentation, spread over 5,900 square feet, will delve into how Hermès produces bags, saddles, silk squares, ties, jewelry, watches and gloves, among others.