Why Aren't More People Talking About the Hermès Boombox?
In 40 years of leading Hermès menswear, creative director Véronique Nichanian presented some pretty playful bags. But in her final collection for the house, Fall/Winter 2026, Nichanian might’ve outdone herself.
This masterpiece deserves more attention than a few videos on social media. The Hermès boombox needs to be studied.
A brown square-shaped leather keepall, the Hermès boombox bag doesn’t play music. However, it has all the little buttons and dials and circular “speaker cones” you’d expect from a functioning model. And some of it actually performs like a boombox, in that you can “adjust the volume” using the zip for a pocket and the cassette player opens to reveal a mini tape-shaped Hermès bag.
It’s all very fun, bordering on silly even, but Hermès’ flawless workmanship brings it all back down to earth.
There’s a similar contrast at play to Louis Vuitton’s leather “iPod” bag in that it was equally incapable of loading up.
Except, as with most Pharrell-designed Louis Vuitton goodies, that accessory was the subject of ample attention last year. While Hermès, a comparably more low-key French luxury label, has seen its comparably extravagant boombox bag slip under the radar.
It’s not the first time. Hermès’ stores are filled with frivolities, whether it be a $19,100 decorative pink leather horse or $1,150 silk cloud-shaped pillow, that are objectively both fascinating and amusing yet go undetected.
And this isn’t the only time Nichanian, who is handing the Hermès menswear reins to Grace Wales Bonner, has pulled off a terrific feat of bagmaking ingenuity, with the Spring/Summer 2022 collection including a sumptuous leather carry-on with a skateboard deck strapped to the bottom.
Just goes to show that though Hermès can occasionally get goofy with it, the craft behind the French luxury label’s bags is incredibly serious.
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