French luxury house Hermès has a knack for remaking everyday objects in its image.
There was the basketball and the bike and, if you want something even more mundane and also available right here and right now, a bucket, gift wrappers, and a set of many placemats (printed on both sides, comes in a big box—a bargain, if you ask us).
Now available in Manila is this luxury personal cruiser. It’s officially called the Boucleries Modernes Long Board, but you can just ask for the skateboard in the backroom. There’s only one. And, as with very, very special things, it won’t be on the floor, so you’ll have to muster up the courage to command one of the associates to please and kindly retrieve this from the vault for your personal inspection.
That geometric pattern on the maple deck is inspired by an Hermès silk scarf designed by Françoise de La Perrière. We’re pretty sure that the bouclerie or buckle design refers to hardware relating to the horse, the spirit animal of the company that started out as equestrian equipment makers.
Look at those vivid colours, a combo of orange and blue with a touch of racing stripe green. The richness is achieved through a sublimation printing technique that lets “pigments penetrate into the material to create a hand-painted effect.” The underside of the board is also decorated with seven medallions, each holding a rendition of a bouclerie. It’s almost a shame to plant your (Hermès) sneakers on this.
We didn’t take this for a spin, because we are not skaters and we, uh, don’t need a luxed-up skateboard right now (a sign in the store instructs shoppers to touch objects with les yeux), but insiders point out that a longboard is suited for pleasant meandering (or cruising). Also, know that, because this is made by Hermès, it will be as functional as it is beautiful.
