Following previous team-ups with the likes of French conceptual artist Daniel Buren, Hermès has announced its latest limited edition scarf collaboration will be with Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. The partnership is in honor of the third edition of the luxury label’s Hermès Editeur project, which intertwines the world of fine arts and crafts with the realm of textiles. Sugimoto’s limited edition silk scarves have been inspired by his “Colors of Shadow” project, and will be presented at the Art Basel contemporary art fair this June.

Hermès creative director Pierre-Alexis Dumas and Sugimoto chose 20 of the artist’s Polaroids depicting color gradations to be printed by ink-jet on silk twill. The limited edition line will be small scale, with WWD reporting March 26 that only seven of each design will be produced. The first two series of Hermès Editeur comprised a series honoring Bauhaus artist Josef Albers and a scarf collection in 2010 featuring prints from Buren’s travels. Art Basel and its sister event Art Basel Miami Beach frequently attract big name fashion/artist collaborations, with the latter’s December 2011 edition showcasing Christian Dior’s collaboration with German artist Anselm Reyle on a collection of accessories including handbags and shoes.

Hermès honours the ancient art of straw marquetry, a form of expertise that has become extremely rare, with these two beautifully dialed watches. Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. Presented for the first time on a watch dial, the Hermès Arceau Marqueterie de Paille watches reflect a highly complex miniaturisation of the marquetry technique.

The blue and black motifs depict two iconic Hermès tie patterns featuring chevrons and tiny squares. The rye straw used in these models is produced by only one farm in France. These two collector’s models are presented together in a precious Makassar ebony presentation box, itself adorned with straw marquetry.

French fashion house Hermés have created a luxurious chess set as part of their Spring-Summer 2012 collection. The hand-sculpted set is carved from Brazilian rosewood and mahogany, laid out on a 95cm board made from Clemence taurillon leather.

The Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign of Hermes is shot by legendary photographer Nick Knight, featuring Alana Zimmer and Isaac Carew. The campaign reinterprets the artisan tradition and hand-craft synonymous with Hermès for the twenty-first century.