Very rear and sought after Beautiful Hermes Silk Twill Scarf “La vie sauvage du Texas” by Kermit Oliver.
First issued in 2015.
The background colours are navy, blue, green, brown, etc.
Composition: 100% Silk Twill
Size: 90cm x 90cm
Comes with Hermes box.
Condition:
Excellent condition, as new.
There are no pulls, stains, discolouration, holes or snags.
The hemps are plump. There is no S stamp.
STORY BEHIND
Several years ago, King Ranch family member and conservation advocate Janell Kleberg was seeking a way to get South Texas’ uniquely rich wildlife ecosystem into the international spotlight, when she had an unconventional idea. Well-connected in both the conservation and arts communities, Kleberg invited several Hermès execs for a visit to King Ranch and took them out to tour the Laguna Madre on airboats. It was during that visit she convinced them to not only design and manufacture a scarf inspired by South Texas wildlife, but to donate a portion of the scarf’s profits back to the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M Kingsville – one of the nation’s leading applied science wildlife research graduate programs, led by 18 of the world’s foremost scientists. Kleberg, no doubt, is a force to be reckoned with.
To design the scarf, Hermès turned to artist Kermit Oliver, the only American artist ever engaged by the fashion house. Oliver, who was born in Refugio, was known for his “symbolic realism” and incorporation of Texan heritage into his art. Though he had previously retired from working for Hermès, Oliver agreed to take on the project. The result? A stunning silk scarf featuring 122 native Texas species from the longhorn to the armadillo. A banner along the bottom panel of the scarf revealed the design’s name: “Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.”
It’s an unwritten rule at Hermès that the company will never produce more than 1,000 scarves of any given print, said Thurwalker. But in 2014, they produced 2,000 of the “Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute” scarves in four different color schemes. And good thing. “The scarves were in such demand that the Hermès store in Dallas had to cancel its launch because nearly all their scarves were presold,” she says. The store in Houston just barely had enough for its formal launch party.
The following spring, Hermès reissued 2,000 more scarves under a new title. This time the banner read, “La Vie Sauvage du Texas.”