Revised September 7, 2026 (Revisions are italicised in orange)
Originally published June 19, 2019 12:41 pm UTC-8
The artist, who signs his Hermès designs Rybal is the great nephew of Philippe Ledoux [link to his biography].
Born as Vladimir Rybaltchenko, he is the father of another Hermès GREAT, Dimitri Rybaltchenko. Both son and father have designed some of the most popular and sought after Hermès carrés.
Vladimir’s father was a well-known engineer from Kyiv who was forced to emigrate to France after the October Revolution of 1917, as Ukraine fell under Bolshevik control. Educated as a bridge engineer, he worked for Renault and Citroen once he emigrated to France. It is said that he had a lovely singing voice and it was this talent that caught the ear of a young French aristocrat, Alice Ledoux.
Alice, the youngest and fourth child, was born and raised in England. Her three brothers were all accomplished. One is credited with translating works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Defoe, Poe and Tolkien into French. Another brother, Albert, was an ambassador. Her undoubtedly most famous brother, was Philippe Ledoux. The artist, who helped catapult and shape the Hermès carré; responsible for so many unforgettable scarves we still love today.
Alice’s father, much younger than Vladimir, objected to the marriage, but the marriage took place nonetheless. That union produced three children, Boris, Vera and Vladimir. Vladimir became a sculptor and painter and like his great uncle, Philippe Ledoux, worked for Hermès. His heritage shone through in designs like the 1975 carré Les Cavaliers d’Or, which was inspired by the famous ancient Scythian Golden Pectoral discovered in Ukraine. Vladimir died in 2002 leaving behind a legacy.
Vladimir Rybaltchenko was responsible for a number of very memorable scarves as well among them Les Cavaliers d’Or, possibly one the most popular designs of all.
(photo courtesy Terminator, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The Golden Pectoral was discovered in 1971 at the Tovsta Mohyla burial mound near Pokrov, Ukraine, and is housed at the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine in Kyiv.
Rybaltchenko created his design using high-resolution museum photographs, technical illustrations, and reference materials. The scarf was commissioned in 1975 to coincide with the major international exhibition “Scythian Gold”, which showcased Soviet-era museum artifacts (including high-quality replicas and photographic displays during its world tour, notably at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1976).
Enjoy some of Monsieur Rybal’s other creations…
©Hermès is the exclusive property of HERMES OF PARIS, Inc., subsidiary of HERMES INTERNATIONAL
All content is the property of Carre de Paris© 2010-2025
THAN YOU INDEED for editing the article and even adding the context and connection to the Golden Pectoral. I hugely appreciate this gesture of you! My only tiny request is if you please just cut off from the text the part “was born in Kiev and left Russia shortly after the revolution”. I think it is just a left-over from old text and small technical error while editing. The best way is to keep the text as: “Vladimir’s father was a well-known engineer from Kyiv who was forced to emigrate to France after the October Revolution of 1917, as Ukraine fell under Bolshevik control.” Thank you once again for reacting to my initial comment, you made my day!
Hi), I came across this article by chance. I am happy to have found your website as valuable sorce of art and fashion facts, but I would like to ask you for this particular article could you please correct the information „Vladimir’s father was born in Kiev and left Russia shortly after the revolution” to „Vladimir’s father was a well-known Kyiv engineer who, after the October Revolution of 1917, was forced to emigrate to France, as Ukraine was taken over by the Bolsheviks.” This would be historically correct. For Les Cavaliers d’Or Hermès carré (1975) the artist was insured by Golden Pectoral, the most famous Ukrainian treasure of ancient Scythian period. (Pectoral_from_Tovsta_Mohyla) on Wikipedia. Thank you in advance for your efforts in this matter.
Dear Nataliya,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this valuable historical context and connection to the Golden Pectoral. I really appreciate your insight and will update the article accordingly!
With Appreciation,
Ladi
My huge thank you Ladi! I truly appreciate your efforts in editing this article and enriching it with more facts. I am really really happy of it!
Thank you very much, Nataliya!
I love that you also caught the part of the old text that I missed when updating the article. I very much value you taking the time to bring both to my attention.
Now it is my turn to say, “You made my day! 🙂
Thank you again.
With appareciation,
Ladi