The Birkin bag, the Medor watch, the Collier de Chien cuff—Hermès knows how to make something beautiful, and its latest endeavor is no different. The fashion house has partnered with Panthera—a global wild cat conservation organization—to raise awareness about the world's most imperiled felines: the leopards, pumas, cheetahs, and tigers of the world that suffer from poaching and diminished habitats. In the recent past, a decline in tourism revenue has left some conservation efforts cash-strapped, wrote Traveler editor-in-chief Pilar Guzmán. "Many believe that the future of wildlife will be severely threatened as foreign interests with an eye on ivory, horn, and hide buy up protected land and encourage poaching." Hermès has taken up the cause; in doing so, it will also pay tribute to wildlife artist Robert Dallet, who often collaborated with the brand on painterly, nature-inspired silk scarves graced with vividly colorful toucans, giraffes, and—of course—big cats.
Beginning January 10, Hermès and Panthera will present a show of Dallet’s works. Fierce and Fragile: Big Cats in the Art of Robert Dallet will feature more than 70 of Dallet’s paintings, drawings, and sketches of tigers, lions, jaguars, snow leopards, cheetahs, cougars, and clouded leopards at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. (Those inspired to visit are encouraged to snap some photos and share them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the hashtag #fierceandfragile.) The museum will also host an auction tomorrow (with all proceeds going to the Robert Dallet Initiative for Wild Cat Conservation) featuring six one-of-a-kind Hermès objects created using Dallet’s artwork. Among the offerings are a hand-painted vase emblazoned with a leopard and rimmed with 24-carat gold paint, an alligator-strapped pocket watch with a jaguar on its face, and our favorite, pictured above—a handmade tapestry, woven in wool with three elegant sketches of a tiger prowling across its front. Also as part of the auction, Panthera will offer two trips—a South Africa safari focused on lions and a Brazilian excursion through the jaguar-filled Pantanal region—that will allow participants to experience their wild cat conservation effort first hand.
For those who can’t make it to the auction, Hermès has also created a silk scarf to celebrate the event. Titled Panthera Pardus, the piece depicts a striking illustration of a leopard, and is available in eight different colors (90cm x 90cm, $395; available at Hermès boutiques), with a portion of all proceeds going to Panthera. Fierce, indeed.
