Hermes Fall 2026

Véronique Nichanian’s final collection for Hermès was less a farewell and more a love letter to craft, clarity, and quiet strength. After thirty-seven years shaping the identity of the Hermès man, she closed her chapter with a collection that radiated confidence rather than nostalgia. The finale, a mirrored crocodile suit gleaming beneath the lights, captured everything Nichanian stood for: restraint elevated to poetry. As the crowd rose in applause, clips from her decades-long career flickered across the screens, a montage of timelessness in motion. “I regret nothing,” she said backstage, echoing Piaf, and it was clear she meant it.

The collection itself was a study in refinement and texture. There were glossy crocodile coats made for the winter holidays, shearlings in grapefruit pink and icy white, and soft leather onesies that blended precision with play. The aviator theme lent the lineup a touch of adventure, with shearling bombers, buckle-collar jackets, and pilot caps recalling Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Colour arrived through subtle gestures: sky blue overnight bags, olive leathers, and blurred floral prints that appeared across turtlenecks and tailored suits. It was Hermès at its most tactile, its most human — a celebration of the house’s enduring relationship between material and meaning.

Nichanian’s farewell was also a reminder of what longevity in fashion looks like. Few designers today are granted the time or trust to build an identity so quietly powerful. Friends such as Sir Paul Smith, who came to Paris to see her off, spoke of her steadiness and integrity, qualities that have become rare commodities. As the lights dimmed, the moment felt both intimate and monumental: the end of an era when craft could speak louder than spectacle. In an industry obsessed with reinvention, Nichanian’s parting words felt like the truest statement of all — simplicity endures.