It was a bittersweet moment entering the space of the Hermès Autumn/Winter 2026 menswear runway show. The main hall of the Palais Brongniart was decorated with screens, each depicting blurred- out models in motion. They’re wearing Hermès, of course, a detail that even with the obscured treatment, was immediately noticeable—a testament to Véronique Nichanian’s hand at the Maison for the past 37 years.
The show was both Nichanian’s swan song and a mark of all that she has achieved at Hermès as its artistic director for the men’s universe. It was Nichanian who was tasked with the development of the Maison’s first-ever menswear collection, and, in turn, the look of the Hermès man since 1988.
It’s tough to describe the aesthetic of Hermès’ menswear because it isn’t simply just one thing. At the very heart of the design is Nichanian’s tendency to favour clean lines as opposed to exaggerated fluff. Each design is considered in how it drapes on the body. When volume is intended, the construction is smooth; when cuts are slim and lean, they’re done with straight precision. The things that she then builds upon this very foundation focus on Hermès’ playfulness and artisanal know-how. Like Hermès silks, garments too are blank canvases at times for artistic expressions; colours are important punctuations to add whimsy; materials need to feel sensual even in details that are only felt and seen by the wearer; and there has to be some form of innovation that pushes the idea of what is expected of the Maison’s craft. At the end of it all, every garment is meant to inhabit time—now, and forever.
The Autumn/Winter 2026 menswear collection encapsulated Nichanian’s efforts throughout the line-up. Not that every collection before it felt or looked any less Hermès, but rather, it felt like a doubling down on the Hermès aesthetic. Several familiar looks from Nichanian’s career were reintroduced as part of the collection, but like one of the tenets of the Hermès men’s universe, you won’t necessarily be able to tell unless you’ve been closely following Nichanian’s collections season after season. It’s that good.
