pierre marie

pierre marie

interview and portraits by OLIVIER ZAHM

the designer of hermès scarves
just opened his own gallery
in the 9th arrondissement where
he brings a colorful contemporary
twist to art deco

OLIVIER ZAHM — In the media, you’re described as an illustrator, but I’m not sure that term is really appropriate for you.
PIERRE MARIE — It’s extremely reductive. Illustrators depict other people’s stories as images. I like to invent stories and draw them myself, but what matters above all is that there are ideas behind the images. I’ve spent a long time looking for a word that defines what I do. The word “artist” doesn’t quite work. The artist creates freely. I always have to adapt to an industry, a technique, a specific demand. At Hermès, we’re called “draftsmen,” and that sort of obsolete term has its charm. It’s close to the word “designer” in English….