The Hermès silk scarf

A Hermès silk scarf featuring NATO was commissioned in 1956 to be presented during the North Atlantic Council meeting of 13-14 December at its Palais de Chaillot Headquarters in Paris. This was a limited edition that did not exceed 300 scarves, which were either donated or sold to NATO personnel and to NATO Delegations.

The carré de soie (silk square) introduced in 1937, is one of the emblems of French luxury goods manufacturer Hermès. Nowadays, one of these timeless pieces sells every thirty minutes around the world.

The NATO scarf, designed by Hugo Grygkar, depicts a globe carried by two horses, topped by a sandglass. The sandglass is a reference to the passing of time and the lasting nature of the Alliance, while the horses symbolise the two sides of the Atlantic. The flags of the NATO member countries appear on the equatorial ring around the globe, while the insignia of NATO Commands feature on the outer rim of the scarf.