The idea of a luxury fashion goods manufacturer deciding to design a helicopter may sound adventurous, if not odd. At best it will almost certainly suggest a successful styling operation. But those familiar with Hermès and its history of crafted excellence will know all about the distinctive design ethic of its creations, also exuded so intensely by its production workshops. And so they will understand equally well that this latest challenge is another natural step in the world of travel entered by the “maison de la calèche” way back in 1837. Any further doubts will be dispelled by the fact that Hermès – whose original saddlery business expanded in more recent times to include cars and aircraft – has undertaken the complete redesign of the exteriors and interiors of an existing helicopter model, in partnership with the industry’s giant Eurocopter (the first partnership in the history of both companies). It has done so with the aim of sharing technological and “aesthetic” know-how in a process of close collaboration between German engineers, French craftsmen and the Italian designer, who acted as the catalyser of these combined forces. In just eight months their teamwork resulted in a special edition of the flexible EC135 twin-engine helicopter – christened l’Hélicoptère par Hermès – due on the market in October 2008. The goal is to produce ten of these helicopters per year and to distil into the market a suitably discreet number of these VIP models. For both organisations, for different reasons, the time was ripe for the operation: Hermès wanted to extend its vision of travel to a new means of transport, while Eurocopter lacked the civil transport version of a flexible and functional model like the EC135, which has reaped high consensus in safety transport. But most of all it was the market that was decidedly ready for the private VIP helicopter, as confirmed by sales figures for Eurocopter (significant because it is the world’s leading helicopter maker with an annual turnover of 3.8 billion euros). Its sales have in fact grown by 30 per cent yearly in the past three years to a total of 111 units sold in 2006. Meanwhile the first eight months of the current year have registered 126 helicopters already sold to private customers.

The encouraging growth figures for the civil aviation market were certainly a boost to the Hélicoptère project, entrusted to Gabriele Pezzini, the Italian designer who has for a number of years already been a consultant on the French company’s special projects. “To redesign it, I had to start by conducting a thorough study of a unique world, that of the helicopter, which is so dense with meanings and mechanisms,” he relates. “Next, I identified the parts that could be changed, because they did not interfere with the aircraft’s aeronautical functioning. Finally, I turned each technical restraint into a means of finding a fresh solution that would improve functionality.” The most important alteration concerned the landing skid, which was completely redesigned by Pezzini and particularly appreciated by the company’s staff. The skid’s new section is flat instead of round in the upper part, so as to facilitate boarding: a simple but effective device. The brief specified recognisability of the Hermès identity at a glance. The idea for a graphic feature to serve that purpose came from the customary woollen thread fastened to the cockpit’s nose to indicate which way the wind is blowing. An orange thread runs freely along the cockpit, from one side to the other, joining the words “l’Hélicoptère” and “par Hermès” to create a sort of signature ideally written with the thread of the firm’s famous “saddler’s stitch”. The orange colour of this logo and of the rotor is combined with the dark brown of the cockpit (ideal for reducing the reflections of light on glass) and stands out from the cream white chosen for the passenger compartment. Other small but important modifications to details affect handles, navigation lights housed vertically on the conjunction between the helicopter’s two bodies, and the tail rotor position lights.

Pezzini’s work on the interior is entirely focused on improving the arrangement of space and its functionality. He has divided the available area into three independent volumes: the cockpit is partly separated from the passenger area, which is accessed via sliding doors, by a transparent glass partition; the cargo boot, accessible only from outside by two doors, has been equipped with a shelf to separate luggage from coats. The choice of colours also helps to divide the spaces perceptively: with dark brown for the pilots’ area, and mainly beige for that of the passengers. All the metal parts of the inside wall are faced with “toile H”, the famous 1930s’ fabric which originally covered the Paris fire brigade’s hoses and was later used by Hermès for its bags, due to its formidable resistance. The choice of this fabric for the internal facings of the helicopter also brought in another departure from common standards: the introduction of safety labels in jacquard fabric instead of the traditional adhesives. This is another styling detail, but also the designer’s signature, for Pezzini has always been interested in materials taken out of context. In this project he has used leather for all elements in direct contact with passengers and crew: the pilots’ and the passenger seats, the side pockets, and the surface tops between the two seats. Only the know-how of Hermès’s master craftsmen could enable these materials to be used in a helicopter while complying with the stringent fire safety tests and maintaining the maison’s high quality standards. The biggest difficulties were encountered in the treatment and processing of the leather. Fire-resistant treatments normally make the leather less soft and also tricky to upholster on rigid surfaces. The extent of the EC135’s transformation is indicated by the number of applications submitted to the certifying authorities, resulting from more than 50 alterations. “My work on the interiors is based on simplification, the clearing of spaces and also on achieving a perceptive functionality,” explains Pezzini. “The choice of horizontal stitching on the seating and on the floor mats goes in this direction.” All in the interests of comfort and relaxation, made still more important to people when flying in such a small and seemingly frail aircraft as a helicopter.