HERMES HONORS NATURALIST AND ARTIST ROBERT DALLET WITH A UNIQUE COLLECTION

BY CALEIGH OSTROM

In January, Hermés and the conservation group Panthera announced a collaboration to create a collection of pieces decorated with drawings by the late wildlife artist Robert Dallet. The handcrafted items include a handbag, vase, and tapestry…even a dial of a d’Hermès pocket watch decorated with a drawing of a jaguar. A lifelong artist and preservationist, Dallet had studies and sketches published in numerous media outlets and placed in exhibits at the Musueum of Natural History in Paris. In 1985, he was approached by then head of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas, who was captivated by his work, and so began a collaboration that would last more than two decades. The most famous of Dallet’s designs was two panthers in a mating dance, which became the image for this iconic Jungle Love Scarf, available for worldwide sale—its silk design highlighted by electric blue mirror sequins that mark the leopards’ spots.

Proceeds from the Hermes/Dallet pieces benefit the Panthera Corporation. Started in 2006, the organization’s mission is to “ensure a future for wild cats and the vast landscapes on which they depend,” and it is the only non-profit devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 38 wild cat species and their ecosystems—developing and implementing strategies for tigers, lions, jaguars, snow leopards, cheetahs, pumas, and leopards, among other species.