It’s wild to think it’s already been a year since my Splash Park scarf was released by Hermès. Even now, it still feels surreal to say that out loud, that something I dreamt up in my sketchbook is now an official Hermès carré, stocked in stores all over the world in five joyful colourways.
In 2019, I saw a competition with designboom to work with iconic brand Hermès who have always been my dream client. I sent off some examples of my work and was selected alongside 99 artists to create a design for their team to judge. I took it as an opportunity to really go bonkers, blending my world with the ‘imaginarium’ that is Hermès scarves.
I made it to the final, travelling to Paris where I discovered the house of Hermès and received feedback from the design team with 10 other artists from around the world! I came home, polished up my design before drawing it out by hand to scale, which was such a fun undertaking!
And then it happened. Splash Park was selected for production by Hermès.
The scarf launched in 2024, and a year on, it’s been exciting to see where it’s travelled. From boutique windows to being styled by collectors around the world, it’s taken on a life of its own. Hermès brought the illustration to life with their usual precision, translating every detail through expert silk printing and colour work. Creating Splash Park pushed me creatively and gave me the chance to work on a completely new scale.
Splash Park was actually inspired by a childhood trip to a French water park full of rainbow slides and water fountains, when I was working on the design I had just gotten married with an 'Under the Sea' theme for the wedding which had a big influence and led to a more intricate exploration with a giant octopus slide, crab shack, submarine and much more!
When I returned from Paris with this sample from last year’s collection Asma Hamdi said let’s shoot it! We wanted something that felt summery and vibrant, so we took it to a favourite East London spot: the brilliant @chatsworthfruitandveg.
Ripe fruit, bold colours and vintage shop fittings made the perfect backdrop. It ended up being a not-so-casual shopping trip with a bit of Parisienne flair in an East London setting.
Thanks for reading,
Jacqueline x