Photo Credit: Frank Oudeman
Last week, Hermès opened its doors at Naples’ premier shopping destination, Waterside Shops. As the French luxury design house’s first store in Naples, the fifth store in Florida, and on the heels of its new flagship store on Madison Avenue that opened in the fall of 2022, this opening further stands as a testament to Hermès’ commitment to the American market.
Designed with the intention to blend the creativity of Hermès’ 16 métiers with Naples’ coastal flair, the store sits seamlessly within the lush atmosphere of the open-air mall, adorned with tropical plants and a 550-foot-long, hand-laid rock wall accentuated by cascading water.
Photo Credit: Frank Oudeman
Hermès Naples is undeniably a breath of fresh air. Envisioned as a tropical pavilion inspired by Naples’ historic houseboats and 1950s architecture, the store is beaming with natural light to reflect Naples’ fusion of intimacy, tropical relaxation, and airiness — capturing the joie de vivre of the Naples lifestyle. Conceived by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI, the interior features luxurious sandblasted cherrywood, stucco, and a patina wave treatment on the walls, complemented by the all-white interior for a sophisticated French feel. The interior also radiates a Floridian, pastel palette of ochre, green, and ivory which is woven into custom gradient carpets inspired by local artist Jen Stark as well as the bespoke marble china chips in the terrazzo floors.
Upon entering, guests are immersed into the new world of Hermès and Naples, where they can discover the Hermès collections spanning across one floor, leading guests on quite the journey. Guests are welcomed by the colorful women’s and men’s silk collections, followed by home objects, the equestrian universe, the baby Hermès collection, the perfume and beauty métiers, and fashion jewelry. To the left of the boutique, the women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections surround a large, central shoe salon. And finally, one will discover a niche devoted to leather goods enclosed by modern curved walls, while another intimate cove reveals jewelry and watches.
Photo Credit: Frank Oudeman
The Naples store is also home to an expansive art collection, including a luxuriant landscape drawing by the French artist Francois Houtin, whose work was also an inspiration for the foliage-motif wall on the fourth floor of the aforementioned Madison Avenue flagship store. Further drawing the parallels between Naples and Hermès, there are photographs featured that depict the different moods of the sea, from the serenity portrayed by Romain Laprade to the power and force by Gérard Dalla Santa.
The Parisian house’s know-how, combined with Naples coastal dolce far niente environment, has created a welcoming air of tropical ease and refinement for all.
