From Saddles to Sculptures: Hermès’ Equestrian Legacy Meets 3D Printing – 3DPrint.com

A horse in the park, birds in flight, and a window that tells a story with curves and colors. This is the latest visual tale from Hermès, unveiled at Amsterdam’s Crystal Houses, a famous glass brick storefront located on P.C. Hooftstraat, the city’s luxury shopping street.

Hermès 3D printed window display at Amsterdam’s Crystal Houses. Image courtesy of MVRDV.

In collaboration with Dutch design firm Aectual and architecture studio MVRDV, Hermès presented Galloping Through the Park, a 100-square-meter 3D printed window display unveiled in May 2025. Spanning two levels of transparent glass, the installation shows a horse saddled in classic Hermès style, trotting into Amsterdam’s Vondelpark as birds swirl around. The scene feels dreamlike and technologically advanced at the same time, created with Aectual’s custom Freeline 3D printing system and sustainable, plant-based materials.

Hermès’ roots trace back to 1837, when Thierry Hermès established a workshop in Paris, specializing in harnesses and saddles for carriages. This equestrian origin remains key to the brand’s identity, influencing designs from the iconic Birkin bag to the Galop d’Hermès watch. The horse, once a symbol of transportation, now represents Hermès’ journey through time, combining tradition with modernity.

Thierry Hermès, founder of the brand, is shown with early saddle and leather goods designs from the company’s beginnings in 1837 in Paris. Image courtesy of Hermès.

Hermès has been known for its creative window displays for decades. At its flagship store on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, the brand celebrated the building’s 100th anniversary with surreal figures and dreamlike scenes. In other cities, like Stuttgart, Hermès has shown windows with strong equestrian themes. Each is more than a display; it looks like a story told through objects and design. Its latest window in Amsterdam carries on that tradition, but this time, 3D printing is at the heart of the story.

Hermès’ Galloping Through the Park 3D printed window display in Amsterdam. Image courtesy of Aectual.

Aectual used its large-scale 3D printing technology and upcycled, plant-based plastics to make part of the display, including the horse, birds, and park scenery. These pieces were designed digitally and then printed, so the intricate details and shapes fit perfectly into the glass front of the store. All the printed parts can be recycled, which makes the whole project more sustainable, aligning with Hermès’ commitment to craftsmanship and environmental responsibility.

Aectual’s 3D printer. Image courtesy of Aectual.

The idea of a park scene in the window comes from a design concept from 2016. That’s when MVRDV first created the Crystal Houses, famous for their “fully transparent glass-brick façade.” At the time, one of MVRDV’s concept images pictured people being able to look right through the building toward Vondelpark, the city’s most famous park. That early image inspired the setting for the new display, turning the storefront into a kind of open-air stage.

Each year, Hermès picks a creative theme for its displays and designs. For 2025, the theme is Drawn to Craft, which celebrates the tools, processes, and people behind handmade and digital design. So, instead of using traditional sketches or hand-drawn scenes, MVRDV explains that its team turned to computer wireframe drawings, simple outlines used in architecture to plan shapes and spaces. These colorful digital lines became the base for the 3D printed shapes in the display. Wavy lines suggest clouds, and the horse’s body includes the chaîne d’ancre, a classic Hermès chain pattern used in many designs, from jewelry to scarves.

Rendering of the Hermès window display, Galloping Through the Park. Image courtesy of MVRDV.

The 3D printed pieces were made in eight different layers, each in a bright color like orange, yellow, pink, or blue. These layers helped shape and support each part of the display, from the clouds to the horse. Aectual used recycled plastic to print the whole scene, and once the display comes down, all of the material can be sent back and reused.

A lot of the details in the window have two purposes: they help tell the story, and also show off Hermès products. Birds carry scarves and small bags through the air. A bike has a handbag sitting on its rack. Shoes are placed in the grass, and a blanket is draped over the bridge. Even the horse wears a real Hermès saddle, a nod to tie the 3D printed scene back to the brand’s origins in riding gear. The saddle shown, the Cavale II jumping saddle, is one of Hermès’ most iconic and expensive items. Usually made to order, these saddles are crafted for both rider and horse, and they reflect where the company began more than 100 years ago.

Hermès’ Galloping Through the Park 3D printed window display as seen from inside. Image courtesy of Aectual/Kasia Gatkowska.

This isn’t the first time Hermès and Aectual have worked together. Their first project was the Monde d’Hermès Kiosk, a traveling pop-up installation inspired by the classic Parisian newsstand. First created in 2021, the kiosk was designed to bring the Hermès universe into public spaces in an unexpected way. It was set up in cities like Prague, Barcelona, Singapore, Knokke, Rotterdam, Dubai, and Bahrain. Built using Aectual’s Freeline 3D printing system and plant-based materials, the structure combined the familiar look of a Paris newsstand with a modern twist.

Monde d’Hermès Kiosk traveling pop-up installation. Image courtesy of Aectual.

From crafting saddles for nobility to designing avant-garde window displays, Hermès continues to honor its heritage while welcoming new ways to tell a story. Galloping Through the Park is more than a visual treat; it shows how Hermès holds onto its heritage while exploring new technologies and creative approaches.

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