Jan Bajtlik

This young Polish artist quickly became one of my favorite scarf designers. I'm not the only one: Hermes has produced his work in just about every department - mens scarves, womens scarves, housewares, RTW, baby gifts - in every season since his first design in 2019.

I credit Animapolis with luring me back into Hermes scarves after an unintentional near-permanent multi-year hiatus (long story). In a state of madness I'd decided to divest myself of my entire collection (IKR? MADNESS!!!!). I wasn't sure what the market was like, started researching the resale market, and came across Animapolis. I couldn't believe Hermes produced such a crazy design. The detail, the humor, the godzilla...

But it had already left boutiques and was grail-priced on the resale market. My despondence was tempered by discovering Cosmographia, then finding Exposition Universelle in the current season. Not only was I absolutely delighted with the crazy details, but there was a dog! In every design! Joy re-entered Ye Olde scarf Drawer!

(I've since learned that happy little dog is the artist's corgi, Kluska. Kluska is often hidden in his designs, and like Annie Faivre and her monkeys, it's fun to play Where's Waldo with Kluska. Just an added level of adoration for me.)

I was like a heat-seeking missile back-filling YOSD, and thanks to a good friend who eerily always seems to have the design and color I'm hunting for, Animapolis and Sweet Dreams landed on my doorstep. Life was not yet complete though - I desperately wanted the bright colorway of Animapolis. And then, in the middle of the pandemic and all its supply chain drama, someone at Hermes must have been cleaning out a closet and found a huge stash of Animapolises (Animapoli?)!

Every season there's something new by Jan Bajtlik. And just as my style has evolved over time, so has this artist's style. His most recent scarves have been more sedate (although in fairness that's not saying much) and I miss the inspired lunacy of his first few years.