• by Larissa Faw , September 30, 2014

The luxury brand Hermes represents perfection, exclusivity and heritage. And while few people can easily afford $10,000 purses, $1,150 beach robes and $1,925 pillows, Hermes is making itself slightly more accessible through its first pop-up online store dedicated to the world of Hermes silk. 

Developed by creative agency AKQA, LaMaisonDescarres.com is available in 27 countries -- across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. -- to sell more than 600 models of silk squares, shawls, twills, scarves and stoles.

The new site is richly illustrated, fully responsive and works across all devices. Visitors wander through an array of ever-changing rooms, including a treasure chamber, saloon and color-mixing kitchen. 

Illustrator Pierre Marie worked with Hermes executives and the AKQA team to craft the grand exterior and intricate interiors of the house, along with a spectacularly diverse universe of characters, in a manner that evokes an instantly recognizable style brimming with humor. 

It’s the first time AKQA has collaborated with Pierre Marie, although the designer has created a wide range of Hermes scarves. He was a natural choice to collaborate with, say executives. 

"Pierre Marie designed a universe for La Maison des Carres that is rich, but still allows us to display the individual patterns of the scarves. It’s been an incredible pleasure to work with him, and we hope to get the chance to work together again on future projects," says an AKQA spokesperson. 

The platform took 10 months to produce. The e-commerce site had to meet the same strict requirements the luxury house demands of its physical stores, yet also demonstrate quirky creativity online.

“Both an online store offering an exceptionally broad range of our collections, and a place of delightful, constantly evolving experiences, lamaisondescarrés.com tells the story of Hermes silk in an entertaining and unconventional way,” explains Bali Barret, artistic director of the women’s universe at Hermes.

While this site is dedicated to the universe of Hermes Silk, the broader Hermes.com remains the digital destination for all other categories. At the same time, social networks are also key to the brand and will help drive traffic to La Maison des Carres, as well as raise awareness for the 177-year-old brand.