French luxury house Hermes has opened its largest store in Beijing, transforming a long-held vision into a space where architecture, craftsmanship and cultural dialogue intersect.The freestanding boutique in Sanlitun, which opened on April 2, is the brand's fourth and largest in the capital and its 31st on the Chinese mainland.

More than a retail expansion, it reflects a three-decade personal journey shared by Axel Dumas, chief executive officer of Hermes, and his cousin Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the house's artistic director.



Hermes has opened a new boutique in Beijing's Sanlitun, where the architecture and decor establish a dialogue between the brand's creativity and Chinese cultural heritage. Photo provided to China DailySpeaking at the opening, Pierre-Alexis Dumas recalled a visit to Beijing with his father, Jean-Louis Dumas, then-president of Hermes, before the brand opened its first China store at the capital's Peninsula Hotel in 1997.

As they walked through Sanlitun, his father made a simple remark that stayed with him: "One day, we must have a freestanding store here."

"It is deeply emotional to be back," says Pierre-Alexis Dumas.

"You have to understand the past to imagine the future. And we have to keep changing if we want to remain the same. This architecture expresses the new vision of Hermes, which reflects who we are and what we want to be here in Beijing and across China. Because ultimately, we are serving something greater than Hermes: culture. Culture is bigger than all of us. It comes from the past, and it's our responsibility to carry it forward.

"Culture lives through applied arts, fashion, design, and architecture. But our ultimate goal is to build bridges through culture."



The five-story structure of the Hermes store is wrapped in rose-pink and terracotta ceramic tiles that catch and reflect the city's changing lights. Photo provided to China DailyThe Sanlitun store was first conceived in 2020, and took nearly six years until the Year of the Horse to finally open. "Horse", which is the brand's symbol as well as an important element of Chinese culture, is the "bridge".

"The horse embodies the tradition that nourishes modernity — something that resonates particularly strongly in China today," says CEO Axel Dumas.

Not only the horse, but also the architecture and decoration of the new store, in many ways, create a dialogue between the creativity of the brand and Chinese cultural heritage, blending the past and present.

The five-story structure is wrapped in rose-pink and terracotta ceramic tiles that catch and reflect the city's changing lights. Its design subtly references the Forbidden City in Beijing, from the curvature of its rooflines to its layered materials and warm, sunlit palette.

The facade, designed by Paris-based architecture agency RDAI in collaboration with Mamou-Mani Architects, resembles a finely crafted birdcage and forms a semitransparent veil that balances openness and enclosure.

It allows light to filter through while creating a sense of depth and rhythm, echoing both traditional craftsmanship and modern design principles.

On the third floor, marquetry made from various woods, a lacquered wall engraved with peony motifs, and ceramic brick walls draw inspiration from the personal collection of Emile Hermes, the third-generation leader of Hermes.

Known for his fascination with art and horses, Emile Hermes assembled an extensive collection of objects from around the world, including China.



Hermes has opened a new boutique in Beijing's Sanlitun, where the architecture and decor establish a dialogue between the brand's creativity and Chinese cultural heritage. Photo provided to China DailyEastern inspiration

Axel Dumas notes that the terrace atop Hermes' headquarters in Faubourg, Paris, was inspired by a Chinese courtyard.

In the 1920s, Emile Hermes acquired a 19th-century Chinese painting depicting daily life in the imperial palace. That work inspired the store's spatial composition and decorative narrative. Today, the painting has returned to China and hangs in the new Sanlitun store.

In 2023, Hermes invited Chinese artist Liu Jianhua to visit its ateliers in Pantin and the Emile Hermes Museum in Paris, reinforcing the house's long-standing focus on craftsmanship.

Among Emile's collection, Liu encountered a bronze danglu — a Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) horse ornament used in bridles.

He later incorporated this element into his hanging installation, The Growth of Everything, created for the Sanlitun store.

Suspended from the third floor, the installation flows through the stairwell. Composed of 815 ceramic petals and 24 marble discs engraved with danglu motifs, it suggests the motion of a rider's whip.



Highlights of the store include the jewelry section and Chinese artist Liu Jianhua's installation, The Growth of Everything. Photo provided to China Daily"Marble appears in many classical Western sculptures and ancient Chinese ornaments," Liu says.

"By combining ceramics and marble, the work creates a dialogue between East and West, and between past and present.

"The work conveys a sense of breath. The petals are like feathers in an abstract form, as if lifted by a gentle current and rising endlessly. They can also suggest the afterimage of a galloping horse, or the trail of a whip cutting through the air."

As part of its opening celebration, Hermes collaborated with the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, inviting students to design the Sanlitun store's window displays.

Among 73 submissions, Feng Yu's Opening the Door to the World was selected. Drawing on her interest in science fiction, Feng uses the motif of a "door" — symbolizing transition and direction — to create a surreal interplay between reality and imagination.

"We want to feel local in every country," Axel Dumas says.

"We are not here to expand from Paris and impose our taste. We try to be Chinese in China and American in the United States. That's why we work with local artists for each new store."



Hermes has opened a new boutique in Beijing's Sanlitun, where the architecture and decor establish a dialogue between the brand's creativity and Chinese cultural heritage. Photo provided to China DailyInfluential experience

While Pierre-Alexis Dumas and his father were envisioning a store in Beijing, Axel Dumas was beginning his own journey in the city.

In 1995, he started his career at the Beijing office of BNP Paribas and lived in Sanlitun, witnessing firsthand the capital's rapid transformation.

"I was constantly amazed by China's ambition and the intellectual curiosity of the people I worked with. Everyone was thinking about new projects, new ideas — developing rural areas, building new infrastructure," he says.



Highlights of the store include the jewelry section, the terrace and Chinese artist Liu Jianhua's installation, The Growth of Everything. Photo provided to China Daily"I felt the palpable excitement of growth and development. It was a feeling I had never experienced in Europe at the time, where things felt more static. China's intellectual vitality and drive were transformative for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without that experience."

China also played an unexpected role in his personal life. While traveling in the Xizang autonomous region, he met his future wife.



Axel Dumas, CEO of Hermes. Photo provided to China Daily"It's romantic that we lived in the same neighborhood in Paris but never met until we traveled in Xizang," he says.

He believes both he and Hermes share a lasting bond with the country. Since entering the Chinese market, the house has maintained a steady, long-term approach — one he has continued since becoming CEO in 2013.

"Hermes is a company, and we make decisions collectively," he says.

"But I hope that for everyone who works here, it is also a personal human journey. Many members of my executive committee have their own stories with China.

"It's very important that you bring your own personality, your own story to the company because ultimately, what we create through craftsmanship is a human connection between the object and the person.

"The Sanlitun store is an achievement for Hermes, but it also expresses our commitment to China, a country that holds a very important place in our hearts."



Highlights of the store include the jewelry section and Chinese artist Liu Jianhua's installation, The Growth of Everything. Photo provided to China DailyQ & A with Axel Dumas

Why did Hermes choose to open its new store in Sanlitun, Beijing? What message do you want to send to the market?

Hermes has a special bond with China, and we really love China. We have always had a special presence in Beijing because we have our first store here.

Since 2013, we decided that, for our strategy in China, we wouldn't want too many stores, and we sometimes have fewer stores than our competitors, but we would like to "conquer" a new city or have a new store every year. The idea is to continue growing in China.

Since opening in Beijing in 1997, Hermes has seen steady growth. What has been most challenging, and what drives that growth?

The potential for growth due to the quality of the clientele and the love for the brand is very good. The Chinese market has been very kind to us. I will not say it's a challenge. It's also the beauty of this market: its speed. You need to be agile, open-minded, and have curiosity.

Amid global uncertainty, how do you see Chinese consumer preferences evolving, and how is Hermes adapting?

The uncertainty of the market is not specific to China. I take the long view. We started thinking about the Sanlitun store in 2020, almost six years ago. We never changed the plan. Consistency is very important.

Regarding Chinese clients, one thing is that they want authentic craftsmanship. They are very discerning, knowledgeable and have a real interest in authenticity. I'm always amazed at how quickly the Chinese become at the top of anything. I believe some Chinese would know more about Burgundy than some French people at times.

The second thing is that Chinese clients are quite competitive and they want the best. When Chinese customers traveled abroad specifically to buy Hermes products, they sought us out because they recognized the quality of our craft. That was the best advertisement we could ever have.

Chinese customers also have great respect for heritage. So it's a wonderful mix: they're highly knowledgeable and seek authentic craft, and they also respect the legacy of iconic brands like Hermes.

The market is highly competitive. What makes Hermes distinctive?

A complicated question. I like being competitive. Our market is great because everyone can succeed. If there is competition, that means there is interest, the clients are there and people care. So I view competition more as a quality than as trouble.

The main difference is our products. We take great care when making them because we use the best craftsmanship and the best materials. I don't know if it's rational, but we still decide, after all these years, that one bag is made by one man, by someone who really cares about it and gives it a soul.

Every year, we repair thousands of bags. There is nothing I like more than seeing a granddaughter bring her grandmother's old Kelly bag to be repaired.

As the sixth-generation leader, how do you view your responsibility as CEO?

I'm working so that my grandchildren are proud of me. I feel very lucky to manage this company, because of all the work that has been done before, and I have the luck to work with dedicated people. Of course, that includes the Chinese team. I know some craftsmen whose fathers knew my father and mother, and whose grandfathers knew my grandfather and grandmother. That kind of generational connection is rare and precious, so I feel very blessed and humbled.

The one thing that I did, maybe, was fight for the independence of the group. I think we are in a marketing world where it's really important to do what you say, and say what you do. We put craftsmanship, authenticity and creativity at the center of what we do.

How do you balance innovation, creativity and Hermes heritage?

There is a French saying from 19th-century poet Baudelaire: "Beauty is the mix of two things, a portion of the eternal and a portion of newness."

What I really want to respect is the craftsmanship and the quality of the leather, but we need to reinvent ourselves.

My uncle used to say to me, "Axel, you can change anything at Hermes, just make sure that it looks like it's already been there." There is this constant evolution. For example, our collection of silk and ready-to-wear changes fully every six months. We have new bags, but we also have bags that were designed by my grandfather 90 years ago.

Something that I like about Hermes is that we don't have a marketing department. So we are not looking at what is working in the market, and we never develop a collection for any country or a specific client. And we never do anything for a specific price. So there is this kind of freedom. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work. When a design does not work, it's OK, because we are craftsmen, we don't have a big factory to do it. It's just OK — not a bad idea and not a good idea. Let's do something else.

How does Hermes view China's luxury landscape in 2026 and beyond?

The Sanlitun store is our biggest store in Beijing, which means we continue to invest. Something that changed in 2012 and 2014 worldwide is that before then, the main indicator to know the client's response was GDP growth. Basically, the country was growing with a good GDP. More middle-class people started to buy. But now people are not buying based on GDP growth; they are mostly buying based on real estate and stock market strength. There has been difficulty in the real estate market. Therefore, people have been more cautious, and their savings have increased, but I think they just need to regain confidence. I have no doubt that the Chinese market is the future for us.

Reporter: Chen Jie

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