Hermès Oran slides with H cut-out

About this model

Hermès introduced the Oran in 1997. It was designed by Pierre Hardy, who came to Hermès in 1990 after three years at Dior and was asked to build the house's young shoe department almost from scratch. He made the sandal just for that year's collection on the theme of Africa. He has said it was inspired by a motif the Ndebele paint on their houses. Hermès tells the sandal's story as a trip that starts on the shores of Oran, in Algeria, and continues between Ndebele houses with their strong colours and geometric lines.

The idea was to make almost nothing, and the fashion press still calls it a barefoot sandal. Hardy has described it as a plain flat, almost invisible on the foot, as if a pattern had been painted straight onto bare skin, and he has said it was never meant to become a classic. In 2018 he noted that twenty years on, the sandal was still here. The upper is a band of leather with a cut-out in the shape of the letter H. It has stayed in production since 1997. Hermès counts it among the house's signature styles, calls it minimalist and reworks it from one collection to the next in new colours and materials. A black version, for example, is box calf, made in Italy.

On fit, Hermès recommends your usual size, or half a size up if you have a high instep.

Sources: hermes.com · Highsnobiety · Footwear News (via Yahoo)