As expensive fashion and technological devices have driven to the forefront of consumerism in the last few decades, they have enabled some pretty legendary crossover collaborations. Off the top, one can recall the unorthodox pairing of LG and Prada, which gave us 3 “designer” smartphones including the ‘𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘓𝘎’. Or even the ‘𝘠𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘚𝘵. 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘪𝘵-𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬’, (a partnership between YSL and Google that yielded a backpack connected to your phone). When thinking about these luxurious hybrid campaigns though, something just feels slightly off about designer-meets-big tech; almost forced. Hermés and Apple though? That’s a match made in heaven.
There is something about the Hermès Apple Watches that just feels right. Of course, the duo operate at the pinnacle of luxury in their respective fields; Apple recently released a desktop computer in the range of $7-10k USD before upgrades, and the French leather goods maker retail their iconic Birkin bags at anywhere around $50k USD & below. Though it’s the chemistry between these two giants that makes the Hermés Apple Watch such a clean piece of jewelry & a re-occurring success year in & out. Hermès signature attention to finite detail compliments the sleek, contemporary design of Apple’s watch, creating a hyper-modern yet classy piece that disrupts haute couture.
It’s not coincidental that Hermès & Apple have continued to collaborate every year on new bands for their watches while other idealistic tech-fashion partners have failed to take off. Despite their respective reputations for top-dollar products, Hermès has managed to offer their signature leather watch bands to Apple at fractions of their regular price. This drop-off in price has made Hermès attainable to a new demographic/generation of people, cementing the French luxury goods manufacturer at the forefront of a youthful “hype” culture.