When you can’t yet afford the bag, go for the scarf.

That seems to be the option for new customers of the French luxury brand Hermes. This is unlike the experience of other luxury houses, where the entry-level goods are usually the fragrances and cosmetics.

While its fragrances sell just as much, Hermes’ silk scarves account for 15-20 percent of the local business, according to Hermes Philippines country manager Mario Katigbak, at the launch this week of www.lamaisondescarres.com, the interactive portal that contains the online catalog of Hermes’ scarf collection.

“It’s big because there are [scarf] collectors, and also the young people are buying them to wear as accessories,” he said.

The small, pocket-square-size silk scarf (16”x16”) priced at approximately P9,000 is the perfect introduction to the brand for younger customers who may have their eye on—but don’t yet have the means to take home—a purse with a six-figure price tag.

Like its famous handbags, all Hermes scarves are made by hand at its workshop in Lyon, France.

Website for scarves

The trend isn’t unique to the Philippines, it seems, such that the company saw the need to create a website dedicated to the scarves alone. When the Greenbelt 3 boutique’s expansion is finished, the second level will be a maison des carres (home of silk collections).

The website is a repository of the hundreds of designs available each season, said Katigbak. Philippine customers still need to go to the boutique for their purchase. They simply need to take down the product name or reference number of their chosen design.

Except in select markets, online retail at www.lamaisondescarres.com isn’t available.

Hermes silk comes in eight sizes, in various materials: silk twill, cashmere and silk, silk jersey and silk mousseline.

On the website, designs can be perused based on color, size, material or theme (nautical, equestrian, monochromatic, abstract, travel, animal, etc.).

There’s also a tab dedicated to men’s items, like ties and scarves. There are also photo and video instructions on how to wear an Hermes scarf, depending on the size.

Until June 22, Hermes has set up a pop-up maison des carres on the second level of Greenbelt 5, displaying the current collection. Shoppers can learn the many ways of wearing a scarf, styled by the Hermes staff, and have their photos taken at a selfie booth.