Urban green space sets Hermès scent in motion

April 4, 2024

The weather and wilderness play a massive role in the scent and its advertising. Image credit: Hermès

Falling rain and lush greenery are at the core of French fashion and leather goods house Hermès’ latest release.

Tributing the contemporary man, the new H24 Herbes Vives masculine fragrance takes on notes of herbs and other fresh ingredients. Following the scent’s release earlier this year, the maison is granting it a platform through a new campaign centered on nature and its relation to the modern luxury consumer.

Basking in green
Urban environments’ interplay with the wilderness and weather is at the core of the drop, which is the third release in the H24 product line.

“I was inspired by the happy smell of nature after the rain,” said Christine Nagel, perfumer at Hermès, in a statement.

“That unique moment when nature and the city, still drenched with water, release new scents and take on new colors.”

Hermés presents a sensorial playground with the campaign's visuals

In the campaign, a male model is seen in various cityscapes filled with greenery. In a stylistic choice, much of the frame is distorted, appearing to be shot through the product’s bottle at times.

In writing, the brand odes to the contemporary man, whose home is in these naturalistic urban spaces, both sharpening his worldview and heightening his senses. Hermès ties modern masculinity to the protagonist of the film, constantly in motion and light on his feet.

Positioned as “a fragrance between the lines,” H24 Herbes Vives melds aromas of fresh herbs alongside notes of pear granita for texture, brought together with the cooling effect of the Physcool compound to create a soft and delicate scent, contrasting with its other output for men. The fragrance comes in a bottle crafted by Philippe Mouquet – a designer at Hermès – with its angular design contributing to the effects present in the promotional imagery.

Available now online and in stores, the eau de parfum is priced at $125 for the 1.69-ounce option and $155 for the 3.38-ounce variant; each container of "vegetal power" is refillable. A face spray, eau de toilette and deodorant are on hand as a part of the overarching H24 line.

The great outdoors
Many maisons are drawing inspiration from natural sources for their latest drops, though Hermès stands alone with its urban edge.

Conversely, others in the luxury segment are looking to their respective homelands, the sea and rural flora and fauna for a baseline for their scents and corresponding marketing endeavors.

The H24 Herbes Vives bottle is adorned in a reflective, light-green lacquer, adding to the natural tones. Image credit: Hermès

For instance, French brands Dior (see story) and Guerlain (see story) both took on floral influences for their recent releases, with the latter taking cues from real-world flower phenomena.

Meanwhile, French fashion label Givenchy is taking a different approach, platforming the ingredients and notes within over using flashy imagery, models or A-list stars (see story). While celebrity activations are heating up throughout the industry, especially in the fragrance space (see story), Hermès and others are going for a classical luxury feel, leaning on the product itself rather than its assigned face.

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Urban green space sets Hermès scent in motion

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