Hermes 'Leather Forever' Exhibition Singapore 2015

Hermes has all along been one of my coveted brands, very upscale and classic, but yet beyond my reach at this stage. So when I found out that they are having an exhibition in Singapore, I made a point to head down to visit. Another plus point - its free admission to the exhibition! 

The exhibition is named 'HERMÈS LEATHER FOREVER', held at Marina Bay Sands Art Science Museum, from 25 Oct to 13 Dec'15. What makes this exhibition special is that some of the display artifacts were specially flown over from the Hermes Museum in Paris, the very first time that they are brought onto the shores of Singapore. 

Source:http://www.buro247.sg/fashion/news/hermes-leather-forever-exhibition-singapore.html

Took many photos with my phone, so this will be a picture heavy entry =) 

Upon stepping in, the first room that greets you is a large one, filled with many different types and colours of leather used by Hermes in their production. There are various items that deserve your attention here: 

A wide variety of leather on display for you to touch and feel.

Be amazed at the colours, texture, and categorizing of the leather here. 

You can also read to find out how Hermes places utmost importance in their leather rearing, curation, protection, every step of the way, till the end of the production line. Every detail is paid attention to, to ensure that the leather is of high quality, deserving for their customers. 

The centrepiece table in the room, is a big table with one huge leather canvas. 

Touch the screen to select the bag that you would like to see being produced, and drawing lines will soon appear on the leather canvas, with each pieces making up parts of the bag when they are stitched together. 

One of the main draw of the room - a French craftsmen doing live stitching of the leather in front of your eyes. 

As he speaks French, he is accompanied by a pretty translator lady who is sophisticated and mature in the way she handles the crowd and their queries. 

Everyone knows that Hermes is one of the luxury brands in the world, whose items are of a high price range. One of the reasons why is that the stitches for their bags are done manually, painstakingly by hand, by their craftsmen. Sewing machine is rarely used for the stitches. One single thread is used throughout one length / side of the bag, hence it is very very detailed. No such thing as 'oh! the thread is loose, let me just pull it out'. Nope. You can't pull it out, because it holds the entire length of the bag. Given today's technology and efficiency driven production process, it is awe inspiring to know that Hermes bags are stitched by hand, in detail, to ensure high quality and long lasting reliability. This is partly why their bags and items are SO durable. 

Various bags / models on display

Moving on to the next room - paying tribute to their roots. Hermes started off in 1873 as a harness workshop in Paris, producing horse harnesses and bridles. Back in those days, horses were the mode of transport. 

Drawing your attention to these 2 bags, which enables people to put their horse saddles inside and bring it along with them. Its amazing that the bag does not look that big, and yet, can fit a horse saddle in it. Not to mention, it looks very classy, and does not make the user look clumsy at all. 

The bag used to put all the horse riding essentials. 

There's a reason for its shape - for practicality purpose, though in modern times, this shape has been used for fashion and aesthetic purposes. 

A close up on this bag, with a dotted 'H' in front. Many people mistakenly think that the alphabet 'H' stands for 'Hermes', but actually, this dots also serve a practical purpose. The bag is used to dry various horse essential items, and in order to ensure that the items can be air dried even while placed in a bag, these dots are created. 

The next room has an orange theme, and displays many trunks and luggages under Hermes. 

Can you see that this is used to store / transport shoes? 

One of the unique feature of Hermes' trunks / luggages then was its attention to detail and ready availability of pockets. They have so many compartments / pockets available, you never have to worry about losing your things in the vast space. Shoes, belts, notebooks, perfume etc. Each compartment / pocket comes with an intent, and you can readily locate anything as they are neatly categorised. I love the functionality! 

Next, a room displaying the classic items and how the design evolved with time, and why it was a milestone during its time. 

The bag in the centre, is obviously the most prized possession. 

A short write-up on the personality of Hermes bags

Moving along the exhibition, I was lucky to chance upon a student group who were brought around with a guide, who explains the key feature of each room peppered with the history of Hermes and some of the classic items. 

One of the key exhibition pieces 

An item that was highlighted by the guide (yes I eavesdropped, what's wrong with wanting to have a better appreciation of the items on display?) - a piece inspired by the dog collar. Hermes introduces a few belts and bracelets etc, whose design is inspired by the dog collar. Some spikes here and there, giving it a rough and not to be pushed feel, but exuding a smooth and classy air. A bit off that such a design powerhouse takes reference from a dog collar, but apparently, back in those times, a lady (can't remember her name) requested Hermes to design it using dog collar as reference. 

Other than the dog collar, Hermes also does not forget what they do best - their history to the horse. 

Many design pieces are inspired by items used in horseriding, such as the latches, clips, fasteners etc used on the saddle to secure it onto the horse. 

This room also showcases the shoes by Hermes. We have a bag with bags just now, now we have another bag with shoes. These are all real Hermes produced shoes by the way. Beats me why the sizes seem so small... 

The next room features a series of work related bags, such as document bags and artist bag (which looks like an enhanced version of a document bag that allows artists to place their artwork inside without crumpling them). 

Which then brings us to another key display item in this exhibition - the winged saddle: 

It pays tribute to Hermes roots once again, as a saddlemaker. 

It was originally made for a Japanese rock band album cover. 

Last but not least, the grand highlight and most close to heart exhibited items are in this room - 5 Kellydoll bags created specially in recognition of Singapore's 50 years of independence, with 1 bag per decade. 

The design of this room is also the most exquisite out of all, it is a garden. 

You may not be able to see from here, but the bags are inspired by the Kellydoll, and each of the 5 bags have a face that smiles and make you smile too. 

Hi there! Want to join me on a swing? 

Irresistibly cute and endearing. 

Somehow, looking at these characters on a swing in a garden, I wonder if garden is chosen as the theme here because Singapore is a 'Garden City' and it will look like Hermes Kellydolls are having fun in the Garden City! 

A must read, for all you Singaporeans out there.

Ending this picture studded post with a bag that caught my eye - the Toolbox Bag, 

The excerpt - exactly what I love about a bag. The perfect balance and combination between aesthetically pleasing and fully functional for the user. 

I am not an expert in commenting on the exhibition but I have always been impressed by (and hence loving) the brand for its quality and functionality, without compromising on the aesthetics. Not that I own any of their lovely pieces, but I have been targeting for one since 21 years old! A worthy target to work towards, and am aiming to own one by 30. 

For more information on the exhibition, you may wish to refer to the below webpages that I found when reading up: 

http://www.buro247.sg/fashion/news/hermes-leather-forever-exhibition-singapore.html 

http://www.bornrich.com/hermes-marks-175th-anniversary-leather-forever-exhibition.html

http://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/exhibitions-and-events/hermes-leather-forever.html

ENJOY! =)

Korea Day 2 (Part 1): DMZ Tour - Panmunjom (in the morning)

Initially started off Day 2 as one entry of its own, but as I wrote, found the content of the DMZ tour too interesting and intriguing, very very worthwhile and educational to share, so am dedicating more space to it by splitting up Day 2 into 2 entries =)

Our first official Korea activity started in Day 2! We woke up early in the morning and set off from the hotel to Lotte Hotel in Seoul, where the meeting point for our first itinerary activity is - the DMZ Tour! 

DMZ stands for De-Militarised Zone, which is the peace out area between North and South Korea, at the 38th parallel. It is now manned by both North Korea, South Korea, and United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. 

A pictorial from the brochure that was given to me when on the tour

The orange area marks the DMZ, and the white dotted line is the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Extracted from the brochure (not sure if you can read the paragraphs clearly from the photo above), it is an invisible line formed at when the Ceasefire Agreement was signed on 27 Jul'15, 1953. The DMZ is a buffer zone where all military and hostile actions is to be ceased. Somehow, overtime, it has become a symbol of sorts signifying and reminding people of the one country in the world that remains divided till today. 

Tours are only conducted by selected few agencies who have been certified. I was highly interested in the tour as I find it to be a rather unique activity that is very different from the usual shopping / theme parks activity (generally all man-made or city activity) when one is travelling overseas. Did quite a bit of research on the tours before hand, and in the end, decided to go for both the Panmunjom Tour and the Joint Security Area (JSA) Tour. The tours are split into half days, so if you have only half a day to spare, you have to choose one. Luckily, an option for both was available, which is the Combined Tour that will then occupy one full day from morning to evening. 

We were brought to this area for gathering before the tour commenced proper. 

A stone memorial documenting the pains of families who are separated. 

A steam locomotive that got derailed by bombs during the Korean War. 

It is now a registered cultural heritage. 

Colourful tags with the wishes of families

Morning: Dorasan Station, Dora Observatory, The 3rd Tunnel 

Dorasan Station

We were first brought to this train station, which used to be operational but services has now ceased. It is the closest station situated to North Korea, and contain hopes of the locals of a day where train services will be operational again, and the day where their country is unified. Very well maintained station despite it not being in use. 

The legendary sign - to Pyongyang

To give tourists a simulated experience, the station sells tickets that allows you access to the platform

The railway track that leads to Pyongyang

A board listing out all the names of donors and sponsors who contributed to the construction efforts of the station

After visiting, I feel that Dorasan Station is a tangible reminder of the helplessness of the locals, especially for families who have been separated, and a reminder of the hostile situation between North and South Korea. Having a solid structure around, which stands and exists over time, is a very good self-explanatory of the country's history. It shows the intention and wishes of the people back then and now. Building the railway track showcases connectivity, and cessation of the train services displays separation. I wonder how the family members feel, as they know that just down the road is their relatives, but yet they cannot cross the border. Truly a case of so near, yet so far. 

Dora Observatory

The next location we went was Dora Observatory, which enabled us to have a view of North Korea. 

If you can read the words on the building, it says 

'End of separation, Beginning of Unification' 

According to the guide, it is a reminder of the wishes of the country. 

We were brought to this area where there is a line of binoculars, which enables you to have a close up view of North Korea. North Korea's Gaesung City and Propaganda Village is very near the 38th parallel, so by using the binoculars, you can actually zoom in enough to see the people and buildings of the country comfortably. I actually managed to see people walking on the streets, cars, bicycles, buildings and their compound! It just felt like a silent movie, all action but no sound. 

The binoculars are chargeable, ie. you need pay for them, but it is a very small fee (think only 500 KRW). A rare opportunity, everyone did not mind paying for it. How many times in your life do you get a chance to sneak peek into the daily lives of North Korea? I took so long to slowly absorb all the scenes that I can see, that I actually went for 2 rounds of viewing (ie. pay 2 times). 

What I managed to capture with my camera, of the divide between North and South Korea. 

If you look closely, you can spot the blue flagpole heisting South Korea's flag (on the right of the picture), and opposite it, to the left of the picture, another flagpole flying North Korea's flag. According to the guide, North Korea's flagpole is one of the highest in the world, and is important to them to be higher than that of the South, as they feel being higher signifies their supremacy over the South. One of the saddest image in my opinion. 

The 3rd Tunnel

The last visiting location in the morning is the 3rd Tunnel, called 3rd tunnel because it is the third one discovered by the South. The tunnel links up the North with the South, and is capable of moving a full division with their weapons, in an hour. Judging by the direction of the tunnel, it seems to be heading towards Seoul, capital of South Korea. Therefore, South Korea feels that this tunnel was created with the intention to launch a surprise attack on the South, and targeting their capital. 

The tunnel is about 73 metres below ground, and due to its depth, ,you can actually feel the air getting chilly as you go downwards. The tunnel walls are black; according to the guide, the North actually covered the tunnel with soot in order to disguise it as a coal mine. Can see that they put in a lot of effort for this. The story of how it was discovered goes like this: 

A defector from the North reported to the South that the North actually dug many tunnels that enables them to access the South undetected. He used to be an engineer who contributed to the tunnel creation. However, as the entire land was too big, the exact location of the tunnel could not be pinpointed. Afterall, it is underground and this person do not know how it looks like from the South side. So the South Korean government planted many many tubes in the ground, filled them with water, and covered them up. If there are any activity done underground, the water will help to detect and inform them accordingly. True enough, one day, one of the tubes exploded suddenly. It is believed that the burst of water was due to the increase in pressure from underground, where the North is expanding the tunnel via the use of dynamites. To find out more, more tubes were planted around that area in a similar way. One day, they struck gold as one of the tubes penetrated the ceiling of the tunnel, thereby giving away the tunnel location. The South then started excavating and digging downwards, and to their horror, found that the rumoured tunnel, does exist. 

When the North was confronted about this, they denied any knowledge and accused the South of crying foul. However, from traces of the dynamite explosions and angle of incline of the ground, which all points towards Seoul, it is believed that the North were indeed the ones who created this tunnel. Why else would you make a dynamite explode towards yourself, and make the path to your destination more challenging by creating an uphill? 

This is actually quite sad, because if all are true, then it not only shows the animosity and hostility, but also that you can't trust your own neighbour, who is actually your own fellow countrymen. No photos of the tunnel itself to share, because we are required to lock up all our belongings in a locker before heading down to take a look at the tunnel. 

Some photos of the area instead: 

This is a rather solemn topic, shall end off here for the first half of the day, and continue with the other half in another entry. The second half of the day brings us to the Joint Security Area, which covers Camp Bonifas, Joint Security Area, Conference Room, Bridge of No Return.