Hermès collaborates with Thibaut Malet on a sculptural turntable

Hermès and artist Thibaut Malet have created Phonocrafts, a turntable that refuses to choose between sculpture and sound system. Carved from pale wood with the precision of a craftsperson’s hand, the piece sits low to the ground, its minimalist base supporting a plinth that holds the mechanics of play. A cream and cognac leather arm connects the tonearm to the wooden body, a tactile gesture that speaks to the house’s understanding of how the hand meets material.

The turntable’s proportions are deliberately intimate. The bowl of the platter glows a soft caramel; the arm and headshell taper to near invisibility. This is not equipment dressed as art. Rather, it is a functional object that has been thought through with the kind of rigour Hermès applies to every saddle, every bag, every object it makes. Malet, known for working across disciplines with equal fluency, has understood what the house values: that beauty and utility need not be separate conversations.

The collaboration sits within a longer lineage of Hermès objects that challenge the boundary between use and contemplation. A turntable speaks to listening itself, to the ritual of dropping a needle, to the patience required for analogue sound. In partnering with Malet, Hermès has produced something that rewards the hand that touches it and the ear that listens to it.

Phonocrafts is realised as a limited production, each piece handcrafted to order. Those interested in the turntable should contact Hermès directly for details on availability and commissioning.

Imagery courtesy of Hermès (@hermes).