The silk scarf is the must-have accessory of the summer, championed on the catwalks by brands from Bottega Veneta and Celine to Gucci. Hermès, however, does the accessory like no other.

The French house has been producing its famous carrés (as they’re called in-house) since 1937; over the 20th century, the style cemented itself as a classic emblem of luxury style, beloved by Hollywood stars—Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot—and royalty—Grace Kelly, Queen Elizabeth II—alike. This legacy has endured, with an Hermès scarf still holding significant cultural currency today: it’s said that one is sold every 25 seconds somewhere in the world. (Rihanna is a particular fan, boasting an extensive collection of vintage styles that she reaches for over and over again.)

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It’s no surprise, then, that for the opening of its new megastore at 166 New Bond Street in June, Hermès has decided to mark the occasion with two limited-edition scarf designs, enlisting the illustrators Katie Scott, Alice Shirley and Jonathan Burton to create special pieces that infuse the Maison’s heritage with a British sensibility. "For me, the scarf is a beauty object and a style object," says Cecile Pesce, who, in her role as creative director of Hermès women’s silk, is behind the dozens of silks the house creates each season. "It has a transformational power. It’s like make-up: you can wear it in so many different ways."

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While the silk scarf is a relatively simple accessory, Pesce explains that a lot of love and hard work goes into each one, with each collection taking about two years to finish. The house will collaborate with an artist to create the initial design—over the years, Hermès worked with creatives such as Henri d’Origny, Robert Dallet and AM Cassandre, whose 1970s designs were resurrected for the recent fall/winter 2026 runway show—before Pesce begins working on the colours for each piece.

"The imagination and storytelling is really important. It’s like writing a book, but with a drawing," she says, adding that the beauty of an Hermès scarf is that the designs are often full of hidden details that you may not see at a first glance. "There is so much humanity in each one. It’s very personal."

Colour sits at the heart of the process, with scarves frequently featuring up to 48 different hues; since Hermès began printing scarves in the 1930s, more than 75,000 custom colours have been created especially for the Maison. For each design, Pesce says she will often develop five different colourways, noting how a shade can have the power to change the entire mood of a scarf. "Usually, people choose a design, but in the end what they remember is the colour," she says. Each scarf is then hand-printed in Lyon.

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Some pieces, such as the special-edition styles celebrating the opening of the new London store, are finished with additional flourishes. Scott’s design, titled Le Bouquet Final—a classic floral print with a contemporary edge, thanks to a tartan background ("William Morris meets Vivienne Westwood," says Pesce, laughing)—is decorated with hand-embroidered glass beads. Burton’s "The New Hermès Record" design, which celebrates the vibrancy of British music scene, has also been embroidered by hand.

The allure of a silk scarf lies in its versatility—it’s practical, can be styled in a multitude of ways and is a much more affordable investment than a handbag or coat. Pesce believes that’s one of the reasons the accessory remains such a favourite year after year.

"How you choose to wear yours is very personal," she says. "Everyone has to find their own way to feel very confident," she explains. And how does she wear hers? "It’s different every day, but I always have in my bag."

This article was first seen on ELLE US.