Chaqueta bomber acolchada reversible de seda Kachinas de Hermès, obra de Kermit Oliver, 1992, fabricada en Francia

In 1992 Kermit Oliver created Kachinas for Hermès, translating Hopi cosmology into the house's exacting silk language. On this reversible quilted bomber the design works at once as outerwear, narrative textile art and an artifact of cross-continental authorship, offered in excellent vintage condition.

The Piece

The Kachinas design was created in 1992 by Kermit Oliver, the first American artist invited into Hermès' design circle. His work translated Native American cosmology into the house's silk language, merging French artisanal discipline with Indigenous narrative systems. The result is a reversible silk bomber that operates as functional outerwear, as narrative textile art and as a cultural artifact of cross-continental authorship, without compromise in any of the three.

The surface depicts Kachina figures, spiritual messengers in Hopi cosmology, traditionally carved and given to children to teach moral balance, harmony and respect for natural forces. Oliver's interpretation avoids exoticism, keeping balanced symmetry rather than spectacle, earth-derived pigments translated into Hermès silk tonality and a narrative density that rewards close reading, so the jacket reads as cultural storytelling rather than costume. Reversibility extends the theme of dual worlds: seen and unseen, sacred and daily, artifact and garment.

Hermès silk of the period was produced through multi-stage screen printing with hand-aligned color registration, in heavyweight silk twill suited to quilting. The bomber construction is demanding: the silk must be stabilized without flattening the print, the quilting must preserve visual clarity, and reversibility doubles the complexity. Very few Hermès scarf designs were ever adapted into outerwear, and fewer still survived in wearable condition.

The early 1990s were a transitional moment for Hermès, moving beyond equestrian symbolism, experimenting with narrative art garments and quietly testing the boundaries of luxury storytelling. Few buyers at the time treated these pieces as collectibles; many were worn, altered or discarded, and surviving reversible bombers are genuinely scarce. The jacket speaks to Hermès archival collectors, collectors of Kermit Oliver's work, textile historians studying cross-cultural luxury production and collectors drawn to narrative luxury, and it sits comfortably beside museum-documented Hermès silks.

Details

• Maker: Hermès
• Artist: Kermit Oliver
• Model: Reversible silk bomber jacket
• Line: Artwork: Kachinas
• Era: 1992 (year of design); early 1990s
• Origin: France
• Material: 100% silk outer shell, Hermès silk twill
• Construction: Fully reversible, quilted bomber silhouette

Condition

Excellent vintage condition, with no notable stains, fading or structural damage observed.

Authenticity & Care

Kachinas artwork by Kermit Oliver, 1992, in Hermès silk twill made in France; the jacket comes from authenticated circulation on the Japanese secondary market. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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