Hermes "Animaux Bandana" by Shinsuke Kawahara

Jun 28

All I need is a good colorway
And some animals.

The first time I saw this scarf was on Instagram and it was an immediate “yes”! There were two colorways that caught my eye; Mauve and Blanc. And upon further inspection I saw the cutest array of animals— from a sloth to a parrot, to a monkey with a baby.

Ever since I passed on “Hot to Trot” by Liz Stirling in Spring/Summer 2019, I’ve had this Mauve/Lavender color in my mind and I thought this was my chance. Additionally, it’s so rare to see a white Hermes scarf, so I put that option on my wishlist too.

I went to the store in April 2024 when my SA gave me the call and told me that she had the Animaux Bandanas in stock (and also the “Les Chiens Parisien” Twilly, which I did purchase that day). Watch the video above for that shopping trip! I loved the Mauve and the Blanc, but then my SA brought out a Beige Dore version! I hadn’t considered requesting this one because I didn’t love the look of it online, but in person, it really came to life. We also did some digging and it turned out that the Animaux Bandana was also being released in Emerald and Marine. I ended up putting Beige Dore on hold to compare to the Emerald.

Above are all of the colors released including the extraordinary version with beaded flowers added to the corners. Photos from hermes.com

Fast-forward to May 2024, I went back to the boutique because the Emerald Animaux Bandana finally came in! Was so excited to see it, but it turns out that my original least favorite became the clear winner and I ended up going with Beige Dore!

So, who is Shinsuke Kawahara?

Images from Instagram: @Shinsuke_Kawahara

Shinsuke Kawahara is a Japanese artist known for his Bunny imagery in the form of drawings, paintings and sculpture. He’s partnered with other designers in the past and the Animaux Bandana is his second scarf with Hermes following “Mille un Lapin” from Fall/Winter 2023.

Recently he has been involved in the opening and creative direction of the new Petit H Boutique in Paris. He’s also created some incredible pieces for Petit H, which I’d love to add to my collection.