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Reviewed by Matthew Ashton
Established in 1837 by the half-French, half-German Thierry Hermès, this iconic brand began as a harness manufacturer in Paris. As of today Hermès is known for an array of luxury goods, including leather and silk, perfume, jewellery, watches, homeware and clothing. Its beginnings in harness manufacturing for the wealthy live on in the Hermès logo, which depicts a ducal horse and carriage.
Hermès: the family business
Hermès has been a family-run business since its founding, with the current CEO Axel Dumas being a sixth-generation member of the Hermès-Dumas family. Thierry Hermès, the founder of the company, established a harness workshop in 1837 in the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris, which was dedicated to serving the wealthy and nobility. His high-quality work of harnesses and bridles garnered him several awards, and his son Charles-Émile eventually took over management of the brand, moving it to its current headquarters, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
Charles-Émile expanded the business to introduce saddlery, and also began selling his products retail, catering to the wealthy of the world. After his retirement, his sons Adolphe and Émile-Maurice took over the operation of Hermès, and the brand was granted exclusive rights to use the zipper in clothing and leather goods. They introduced it in France, where it became known as the fermeture Hermès (Hermès fastener), and in 1918 they created the first leather golf jacket with a zipper, made for Edward, Prince of Wales.
From the mid-1930s, Hermès appointed Swiss watchmaker Universal Genève as their first and exclusive designer of watches for both men and women. This partnership lasted until the 1950s. Émile-Maurice was succeeded by his son-in-law, Robert Dumas-Hermès – the first to lead the company who was only related by marriage. Under Robert Dumas-Hermès’ leadership, the brand took on its iconic logo and orange paper boxes, which are still used today. In 1956 Grace Kelly – who had recently become the Princess of Monaco – was photographed carrying a “Sac à dépêches” bag. This bag, rumoured to be hiding the Princess’ pregnancy in the photo, was soon renamed the Kelly bag by the public (and later Hermès), and became a huge success.
The art of the craft
Hermès prides itself on handmade items, with handbags and luggage taking up to 24 hours to produce. With sixty production and training sites in France, Hermès is present in 11 of the 13 French regions, and 76% of Hermès objects are manufactured there.
Hermès also offers to restore any of its leather goods, so a customer can bring their handbag to any Hermès location, where it will be shipped to Les Ateliers Hermès in Pantin for repair. In 2023, the repair workshops restored over 200,000 Hermès products.
Hermès and handbags
Hermès is arguably best known for its iconic handbags, including the Birkin bag, which is named after the English-French singer and actress Jane Birkin. It came about after a conversation between her and then-CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, in which she complained about not being able to find a bag with sufficient storage space for everything she needed as a young mother.
Another famous bag produced by the brand is the Kelly bag (named for Hollywood star Grace Kelly). Both bags are hand-crafted in leather in France, using Hermès’ signature technique of saddle stitching. The final items can vary hugely in price depending on the materials used – some bags flaunt exotic leathers and diamonds that can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. Their popularity has only grown over the years, with the iconic TV show Sex and the City delivering the famous line: “It’s not a bag, it’s a Birkin.”
The stars who love Hermès
Unlike many other luxury brands, Hermès does not use celebrity ambassadors or endorsements, but it’s no surprise that it has its fair share of celebrity admirers and collectors. Victoria Beckham reportedly owns over 100 Birkin bags, while reality star Khloe Kardashian made headlines for showing her daughter True surrounded by over £100K worth of Birkins in a 2019 Instagram post. Princess Diana was said to favour the perfume Hermès 24 Faubourg, and Jamie Chua, an influencer and socialite from Singapore, boasts a collection of over 200 bags that includes the Himalaya Diamond Birkin – a bag famous for its exclusivity.
Hermès today
Hermès continues to enjoy success across the world, debuting new collections in different locations as part of its “houses of objects” – meaning that every Hermès store is carefully and subtly tailored to its locality.
2025 will see Hermès release the Mini Kelly Pampilles – a smaller version of the iconic Kelly bag, this time with delicate fringe detailing. The Birkin à l’envers in size 35 is also coming soon, with colours offered in black and natural. With the ongoing popularity of Kelly and Birkin bags, it’s likely that Hermès will continue to see more of the same success going into 2025, and even further beyond.
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Sources
https://www.hermes.com/uk/en/content/333467-hermes-around-the-world
https://loveluxury.ae/topics/hermes-bags-in-pop-culture
https://www.hermes.com/uk/en/content/134986-sustainable-development
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herm%C3%A8s
https://www.pursebop.com/hermes-introduces-11-new-handbags-for-spring-summer-2025