Hermès opened a traveling laundromat to dye your luxury silk scarves
When you think of luxury, a laundromat isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But if it’s run by a luxury brand? Well, that’s a different story. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their lower Manhattan boutique, Hermès is opening pop-up laundromats where you can dye your own scarf (or purchase a new one). The pop-up Hermèsmatic laundromats will be open in New York City from June 14th to June 18th, and then will move to Washington D.C., Nashville, and Los Angeles.
You can bring in an old scarf you have in your closet or purchase a new or vintage scarf on the spot. Then you pick between three colors (denim blue, fuchsia, and violet) and toss it in one of their machines. Within 24 to 48 hours, the scarf will be hand-delivered to you. The laundromats will also be selling the Battery Park scarf, which has a New York City-scape on it and retails for $395. Proceeds from the scarf go to Battery, an organization devoted to the conservation of the 25-acre public park at the southern tip of Manhattan.
It might be worth hitting the Hermèsmatic just to people watch.
Last year, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Hermès silk scarf, the brand opened the same sort of pop-up shops and dye-machines in Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Munich, Dubai, and Kyoto to much success, according to Women’s Wear Daily. If you have a Hermès scarf, you might want to think twice about dyeing it, especially if it’s one with a more intricate pattern that you love. The dark colors are just washed into the silk, meaning you don’t get to pick and choose aside from one color.
We’re just saying, those scarves are valuable.
Not only are Hermès scarves are expensive, some of the vintage ones are a part of fashion history. Dye won’t necessarily ruin the scarf, but may devalue it. So know that in case you’re into the whole “one day I could sell it on eBay thing.” Then again, it’s just a scarf, and if the pop-up shops are air conditioned, why not spend an afternoon doing “laundry” in the chicest way possible?
