From Left Bank to North Bund: Hermès unveils ‘Au Galop!’ collection in Shanghai
When Hermès chooses to unveil its autumn-winter 2025 collection across two continents, it isn't merely staging another fashion show—it is crafting a cross-cultural dialogue between heritage and innovation.
The season began this March in the storied halls of Paris’s Garde Républicaine, where creative director Nadège Vanhée introduced the modern Hermès woman as a “leather dandy”—a figure of quiet strength and poise, dressed in the maison’s most refined craftsmanship. Models strode a soil-covered runway in a palette rooted in equestrian tradition, showcasing sharp tailoring, modular silhouettes and the impeccable leatherwork that defines the house. After nearly a decade reshaping Hermès’s ready-to-wear, Vanhée continues to prioritise nuance over overt branding. “We’re not silent here, we’re something more,” she previously remarked.
In June, the maison unveiled a second chapter of the women’s autumn-winter 2025 collection, titledAu Galop!, in Shanghai. Staged within a modular pavilion on North Bund Bay, the show offered sweeping views of the Huangpu River and Lujiazui’s futuristic skyline. Sculptural panels shifted in rhythm with each model’s passage, creating a theatrical interplay of concealment and revelation—a vivid metaphor for the collection’s layered themes. A striking Hermès-orange runway served as a kinetic canvas, subtly evolving throughout the evening, while guests—including Hong Kong cinema icons Tony Leung and Carina Lau—were served champagne delicately infused with rice wine and adorned with floating wildflowers.
Tatler brings you everything to know about Au Galop!, the second chapter of the Hermès autumn-winter 2025 collection.
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Hermès autumn-winter 2025 show in Shanghai (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Where Paris introduced the “leather dandy”, Shanghai unveiled the “urban explorer”. The severe shadows that defined the first chapter of the Hermès autumn-winter 2025 collection gave way to energetic bursts of Hermès orange, fiery reds and wistful lilac—shades that mirrored the rhythm of Shanghai’s electric nights.
Vibrant styling resonated with contemporary city life. Leather ensembles were layered over windbreakers and hoodies; sweaters were nonchalantly knotted at the waist. The house’s signature silk carrés appeared as ear warmers and hair ties. Accessories included the maison’s new leather headphones—crafted by the same ateliers behind the emblematic Kelly bag—underscoring the collection’s forward-facing ethos.
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Key pieces included sumptuous poncho sweaters and fluid double-faced cashmere coats, some lined with removable Dressage panels for added versatility. Other standout designs included coats that unzipped to become blankets and reversible outerwear that combined functionality with unmistakable elegance. But it was the leather hot pants—paired with sweeping wool coats and tissue-thin turtlenecks—that perhaps best captured the collection’s playful tension between seduction and refinement.
At the heart of the Shanghai chapter was the braid motif, inspired by the Dressage Tressage silk carré. This humble yet resonant symbol appeared as twisted cords, embossed accents and leather trims—an emblem of cultural interweaving and cosmopolitan complexity.
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
Hermès ‘Au Galop!’ collection (Photo: Hermès)
This dual-location presentation revealed Vanhée's multilayered vision of the contemporary Hermès woman. No longer confined to equestrian elegance or Left Bank sophistication, she is a complex figure—self-assured in tailored Parisian leather, yet agile in navigating the pulse of global megacities. It’s a vision that reflects a broader shift in luxury: one where the modern woman moves between cultures, demanding a wardrobe as intelligent and adaptable as she is.
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