Shawl, Fragment d’un discours amoureux (A Lover's Discourse: Fragments), 2016

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of semiotician, literary theorist and philosopher Roland Barthes, Hermès created a limited-edition “140 carré”—a silk and cashmere shawl 140 centimeters square. Creative Director Pierre-Alexis Dumas commissioned graphic designer Philippe Apeloig to create a design based on Barthes 1977 book Fragments d’un discours amoureux (A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments).
Because the scarves are printed on one side only, with the design transferring to the opposite side, Apeloig quickly realized that letterforms, signs and symbols would appear backward on the back of the scarf. So, instead of semiotics, he focused on Barthes’ interest in structuralism, creating a ‘map’ of the interior of the book. The disposition of the text on each page, including footnotes, marginalia, and pagination, are rendered in rectangles of white on a deep blue ground. The folios and gutters are rendered in a darker shade of blue, creating a gridded superstructure. The result is an elegant and abstract, yet painstakingly specific, tribute.

Shawl, Fragment d’un discours amoureux (A Lover's Discourse: Fragments), 2016; 70% cashmere, 30% silk; H x W: 140 × 140 cm (55 1/8 × 55 1/8 in.); Gift of Hermès New York; 2016-53-1