Hermès introduces Pierre Hardy as its new creative director for footwear

French luxury house Hermès is introducing designer Pierre Hardy, who has been the creative director of the fashion house's footwear line for 30 years, to a wider audience. An article about Pierre Hardy was published in the American Highsnobiety.com.

Ardi turned 70 in February. The designer created the luxury brand's footwear category from scratch, starting his work at Hermès in 1990. In 2001, he also began designing jewelry, and then cosmetics packaging for the house.

The Oran sandal, designed by Ardi in 1997 and characterized by its H-shaped leather upper, became the House's signature piece. The following year, he released the Quick sneaker, the first luxury sneaker made from a single piece of leather. In spring 2019, the Tango sandal, inspired by the Sputnik satellite, was released, followed by the Audace sandal in spring 2020, featuring a sculpted, clear block heel.

Ardi describes his shoe design process as intuitive. "It doesn't come from the brain," he says. "The first step is quite spontaneous, and then it becomes more rational, more efficient, more effective."

For women, design often begins with the heel: height, proportions, balance. For men, it's a question of volume and silhouette. Sandals come in all shapes and sizes. Here, the foot becomes the starting point, carefully sketched before the shoe is put on. Ardi describes this process as a kind of puzzle, a labyrinth with no clear solution, begging to be discovered.

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Raised in Paris by a ballerina and a physical education teacher, Hardy danced for 15 years, and for him, understanding design stems from physical awareness. He studied fine arts at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and later taught applied arts and set design. 

His earliest memories of footwear include his father's sneakers, his mother's dance shoes, and his own childhood flip-flops: a blend of sport, performance, and barefoot freedom that inspired some of his most celebrated creations. "The body is very important as a starting point," he says. "Over the years, I realized that what I love most about my work is working with the body and, in a sense, caring for it."