Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès ( , ), is a French
luxury
Luxury may refer to:
*Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises
*Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars
**Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...
design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and
ready-to-wear. Its logo, since the 1950s, is of a
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
carriage with horse.
History
Beginnings in the 19th century
Thierry Hermès was born in
Krefeld
Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...
, Germany, to a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
father and a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
mother. The family moved to France in 1828.
[
] In 1837, Hermès first established a harness
workshop
Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...
in the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris, dedicated to serving European
noblemen
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...
.
He created high-quality wrought harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade,
winning several awards including the first prize in its class in 1855 and again in 1867 at the Expositions Universelles in Paris.
Hermès's son, Charles-Émile,
took over management from his father in 1880 and moved the shop to ''24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré'', where it remains. With the help of his sons Adolphe and Émile-Maurice, Charles-Émile introduced
saddle
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...
ry and started selling his products retail.
The company catered to the élite of Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia, and the Americas. In 1900, the firm offered the ''Haut à Courroies'' bag, specially designed for riders to carry their saddles with them.
Hermès Frères era
After Charles-Émile Hermès's retirement, sons Adolphe and Émile-Maurice took leadership and renamed the company Hermès Frères. Shortly after, Émile-Maurice began furnishing the
tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
of Russia with saddles.
By 1914, up to 80 saddle craftsmen were employed. Subsequently, Émile-Maurice was granted the exclusive rights to use the
zipper for leather goods and clothing, becoming the first to introduce the device in France.
In 1918, Hermès introduced the first leather golf jacket with a zipper, made for
Edward, Prince of Wales.
Because of its exclusive rights arrangement the zipper became known in France as the ''fermeture Hermès'' (Hermès fastener).
Throughout the 1920s when he was the sole head of the firm, Émile-Maurice added accessories and clothing collections.
He also groomed his three sons-in-law (Robert Dumas, Jean-René Guerrand, and Francis Puech) as business partners. In 1922, the first leather handbags were introduced after Émile-Maurice's wife complained of not being able to find one to her liking. Émile-Maurice created the handbag collection himself.
![Hermès-1923](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Herm%C3%A8s-1923.jpg)
In 1924, Hermès established a presence in the United States and opened two shops outside of Paris. In 1929, the first women's
couture
Couture may refer to:
People
* Couture (surname)
Places
Belgium
* Couture-Saint-Germain, a village in the municipality of Lasne, Belgium
Canada
* Couture crater and Lac Couture, an impact crater and the lake that covers it in Quebec, Canada
...
apparel collection was previewed in Paris.
During the 1930s, Hermès introduced some of its most recognized original goods
such as the leather "Sac à dépêches" in 1935 (later renamed the "
Kelly bag
The Kelly bag (formerly known as the Sac à dépêches in 1935) is a leather handbag designed by the Paris-based, high-fashion luxury-goods manufacturer Hermès. The bag was redesigned several times before it was popularized by and then named aft ...
" after
Grace Kelly) and the Hermès ''carrés'' (square scarves) in 1937.
The scarves became integrated into
French culture
The culture of France has been shaped by geography, by historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture since the 17th century and from t ...
.
In 1938, the "Chaîne d'ancre" bracelet and the riding jacket and outfit joined the classic collection. By this point, the company's designers began to draw inspirations from paintings, books, and ''objets d'art''.
The 1930s also witnessed Hermès's entry into the United States market by offering products in a Neiman Marcus department store in New York; however, it later withdrew.
In 1949, the same year as the launch of the Hermès silk tie, the first perfume, "Eau d'Hermès", was produced.
From the mid-1930s, Hermès employed
Swiss watchmaker Universal Genève as the brand's first and exclusive designer of timepieces, producing a line of men's wrist
chronograph
A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successive ...
s (manufactured in
18K gold or
stainless steel
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
) and women's
Art Déco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
cuff watches in 18K gold, steel, or
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
. Both models contained dials signed either "Hermès" or "Hermès Universal Genève", while the
watch movements were signed "Universal Genève S.A.". The Hermès/Universal partnership lasted until the 1950s.
Émile-Maurice summarized the Hermès philosophy during his leadership as "leather, sport, and a tradition of refined elegance."
Post-Émile-Maurice Hermès
Robert Dumas-Hermès (1898–1978), who succeeded Émile-Maurice after his death in 1951, closely collaborated with brother-in-law Jean-René Guerrand.
Dumas became the first man not directly descended from ''Hermès père'' to lead the company because his connection to the family was only through marriage. Thus, he incorporated the Hermès name into his own, Dumas-Hermès.
The company also acquired its Duc-carriage-with-horse logo and signature orange paper boxes in the early 1950s.
Dumas introduced original handbags, jewelry, and accessories and was particularly interested in design possibilities with the silk scarves.
During the mid-20th century, scarf production diminished.
World Tempus, a
Web portal dedicated to watchmaking, states: "Brought to life by the magic wand of Annie Beaumel, the windows of the store on the
ue du Ue or UE may refer to:
Businesses and organizations Universities
* University of Edinburgh, a university in Scotland
* University of Exeter, a university in England
* University of the East, a university in the Philippines
* University of Evansvil ...
Faubourg Saint-Honoré became a theatre of enchantment and
stablished the store asa Parisian meeting-place for international celebrities."
In 1956, ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' magazine featured a photograph of Grace Kelly, who had become the new Princess of
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, carrying the "Sac à dépêches" bag. Purportedly, she held it in front of herself to disguise her pregnancy. Thus, when the public began calling it the "Kelly" bag, a name subsequently adopted by Hermès, it became hugely popular.
The perfume business became a subsidiary in 1961, concurrently with the introduction of the "Calèche" scent, named after a hooded four-wheeled horse carriage, known since the 18th century, and is also the company's logo since the 1950s. In 2004,
Jean-Claude Ellena became the in-house perfumer or "nose" and has created several successful scents, including the Hermessence line of fragrances.
Decline and revamp
![Hermès Store, Avenue George V, Paris 8e 003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Herm%C3%A8s_Store%2C_Avenue_George_V%2C_Paris_8e_003.JPG)
Despite apparent success in the 1970s, exemplified by multiple shops having been established worldwide, Hermès declined relative to its competitors. Industry observers attributed this decline to Hermès' insistence on exclusively using natural materials for its products, a differentiation from competitors that were using new, synthetic materials.
A two-week lapse in orders exemplified this shift: the Hermès workrooms were silent.
A market shift from artificial ingredients back to natural materials renewed demand for Hermès' fragrances and improved the company’s prospects, contributing to the re-establishment of Hermès as a major player in the fragrance industry.
Jean-Louis Dumas
Jean-Louis Robert Frédéric Dumas (2 February 1938 – 1 May 2010) was a French billionaire businessman who was the chairman of the Hermès group from 1978 to 2006. He was also the company's artistic director. Dumas is credited with turning Her ...
, the son of Robert Dumas-Hermès, traveled extensively,
studying in the buyer-training program at
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. Bloomingdale, Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the bus ...
, the New York department store, and joined the family firm in 1964. He became chairman of Hermès in 1978 and concentrated the firm on silk, leather goods, and ready-to-wear, augmenting traditional techniques with new product lines. This transition was instrumental in turning around Hermès’ decline.
Dumas brought in designers Eric Bergère and Bernard Sanz to revamp the apparel collection and, in collaboration, added unusual entries. They included the
python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
motorcycle jackets and ostrich-skin jeans, which were dubbed as "a snazzier version of what Hermès has been all along." (Annual sales in 1978, when Jean-Louis became head of the firm, were reported at US$50 million.
By 1990, annual sales were reported at US$460 million, mainly due to Dumas's strategy.) In 1979, he launched an advertising campaign featuring a young, denim-clad woman wearing an Hermès scarf. The purpose was to introduce the Hermès brand to a new set of consumers. As one fashion-sector observer noted: "Much of what bears the still-discreet Hermès label changed from the object of an old person's
nostalgia
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...
to the subject of young peoples' dreams."
However, Dumas's change-of-image created outrage both within and outside of the firm.
Also in the 1970s, the watch subsidiary, La Montre Hermès, was established in
Bienne, Switzerland
, french: Biennois(e)
, neighboring_municipalities= Brügg, Ipsach, Leubringen/Magglingen (''Evilard/Macolin''), Nidau, Orpund, Orvin, Pieterlen, Port, Safnern, Tüscherz-Alfermée, Vauffelin
, twintowns = Iserlohn (Germany)
B ...
. Then, throughout the 1980s, Dumas strengthened the company's hold on its suppliers,
resulting in Hermès's gaining great stakes in prominent French
glassware,
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
ware acquiring venerable
tableware
Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, List of glassware, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variet ...
manufacturers such as Puiforcat, St. Louis, and Périgord.
Growth
![HERMES in Prince's Building 202103](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/HERMES_in_Prince%27s_Building_202103.jpg)
From the 1980s, tableware became a strong segment of the firm.
And, overall, the collection of Hermès goods expanded in 1990 to include over 30,000 pieces. New materials used in the collection included porcelain and crystal.
Hermès relocated its workshops and design studios to Pantin, just outside Paris.
By June 1993, Hermès had gone public on the
Paris Bourse (stock exchange). At the time, the equity sale generated great excitement. The 425,000 shares floated at FFr 300 (US$55 at the time) were oversubscribed by 34 times.
Dumas told ''
Forbes magazine'' that the equity sale would help lessen family tensions by allowing some members to liquidate their holdings without "squabbling over share valuations among themselves."
To this time, the Hermès family was still retaining a strong hold of about 80% in stocks, placing Jean-Louis Dumas and the entire family on the ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
''
list of billionaires.
Mimi Tompkins of ''U.S. News & World Report'' called the company "one of Paris' best guarded jewels."
In the following years, Dumas decreased Hermès franchises from 250 to 200 and increased company-owned stores from 60 to 100 to better control sales of its products.
The plan was to cost about FFr 200 million in the short term but to increase profits in the long term. Having around FFr 500 million to invest, Hermès pressed ahead, targeting China for company-operated boutiques, finally opening a store in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
in 1996.
In 1997, Jean-Louis hired iconoclastic Belgian designer
Martin Margiela
Martin Margiela (born 9 April 1957) is a Belgian fashion designer, artist, and Organizational founder, founder of French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house Maison Margiela. Throughout his career, Margiela has maintained a low profile, refusing ...
to supervise women's ready-to-wear.
By the late 1990s, Hermès continued extensively to diminish the number of franchised stores, buying them up and opening more company-operated boutiques. The fashion industry was caught off guard in September 1999, when Jean-Louis decided to pay FFr 150 million for a 35% stake in the
Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion house.
In the latter part of the 1900s, the company encouraged its clientele to ''faites nous rêver'' (make us dream), producing throughout the period artistically atypical orders.
The 2000s to today
![Hermès, Madrid, Spain España](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Herm%C3%A8s%2C_Madrid%2C_Spain_Espa%C3%B1a.jpg)
In 2003,
Martin Margiela
Martin Margiela (born 9 April 1957) is a Belgian fashion designer, artist, and Organizational founder, founder of French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house Maison Margiela. Throughout his career, Margiela has maintained a low profile, refusing ...
left Hermès, and hired
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corsets, ...
as the head designer, debuted his first ready-to-wear collection for fall/winter 2004–05.
After 28 years as head of the firm, Jean-Louis Dumas retired in January 2006. Known for his charm and one of Europe's greatest authorities on luxury, he died in 2010 after a long illness.
Patrick Thomas, who had joined the company in 1989 and who had worked with Jean-Louis as the co-CEO from 2005, replaced him. Thomas became the first non-Hermès family member to head the company.
In February 2015, Hermès has announced an increase of its turnover of 9.7%, which represents more than €4 billion in sales.
This increase is internationally visible. In Asia, excluding Japan, where the turnover grew 7%, in America, with 10% rise, in Europe where it grew 7% growth and generated a good performance in the group's stores.
In March 2018, Hermès opened a multi-story shop at the Dubai Mall, their largest to date.
In 2019, the brand was ranked 33rd in the Forbes List "World's Most Valuable Brands".
The 2021 review of
WIPO's annual
World Intellectual Property Indicators World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) is an annual statistical report published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The publication provides an overview of the activity in the areas of patents, utility models, trademarks, ...
ranked Hermès 7th in the world for the 68 industrial design registrations that were published under the
Hague System
The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs, also known as the '' Hague system'' provides a mechanism for registering an industrial design in several countries by means of a single application, filed in one lan ...
during 2020. This position is significantly up on their previous 15th place ranking for their 27 industrial design registrations published in 2019.
Designers
The designers throughout the company's history have included
Lola Prusac, Jacques Delahaye, Catherine de Karolyi, Monsieur Levaillant, Nicole de Vesian, Eric Bergère, Claude Brouet, Tan Giudicelli, Marc Audibet, Mariot Chane, Bernard Sanz,
Martin Margiela
Martin Margiela (born 9 April 1957) is a Belgian fashion designer, artist, and Organizational founder, founder of French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house Maison Margiela. Throughout his career, Margiela has maintained a low profile, refusing ...
,
Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christophe Lemaire, Véronique Nichanian (the men's-wear designer since 1988), and Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski (since 2014 succeeding Lemaire).
Goods and products
![Hermes soap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Hermes_soap.jpg)
Known for luxury goods, by 2008, Hermès had 14 product divisions that encompassed leather, scarves, ties, men's and women's wear, perfume, watches, stationery, footwear, gloves, enamelware, decorative arts, tableware, and jewellery.
Hermès sales compose about 30% leather goods, 15% clothes, 12% scarves, and 43% other wares.
The company licenses no products and keeps tight control over the design and manufacture of its vast inventory.
The firm is very attached to its traditional business model and rejects mass production, assembly lines, and mechanization. Hermès's goods are almost entirely made in France by hand in middle-sized workshops known as Les Ateliers Hermès that emphasise high-quality manufacturing. Indeed, Hermès claims most items are fabricated from beginning to end by only one person, which is supposed to guarantee the quality and uniqueness of its products.
In 2012, Hermès retail outlets changed their policy regarding returns and exchanges of products. Consumers may only exchange items within ten days of purchase and only for another color variant of the original purchase. No other post-purchase exchanges are permitted, and refunds are never offered, regardless of the consumer's having a receipt.
Scarves
The scarf or ''carré'' (square) was introduced in 1937.
The first example was a 70 cm x 70 cm print of white-wigged females playing a popular period game, a custom-made accessory named "Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches."
Hermès oversaw the production of its scarves throughout the entire process, purchasing raw Chinese silk, spinning it into yarn, and weaving it into fabric twice as strong and heavy as most scarves available at the time.
The company's scarf designers spend years creating new print patterns that are individually screen-printed.
Designers can choose from over 70,000 different colors.
When production first began, a dedicated factory was established in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, France, the same year that Hermès celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Contemporary Hermès ''carrés'' measure 90 cm × 90 cm, weigh 65 grams and are woven from the silk of 250
mulberry moth cocoons.
All hems are hand-stitched. Motifs are wide-ranging, Two silk-scarf collections per year are released, along with some reprints of older designs and limited editions. And two collections per year are introduced in a
Cashmere/silk blend. Since 1937, Hermès has produced over 2,000 unique designs; the horse motif is particularly famous and popular.
The ubiquitous "Brides de Gala" version, introduced in 1957, has been produced more than 70,000 times. An Hermès scarf is sold somewhere in the world every 25 seconds; by the late 1970s, more than 1.1 million scarves had been sold worldwide.
Neckties
![Hermes ties](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Hermes_ties.jpg)
In 1946, the brand introduced a range of men's silk neckties in an array of motifs and widths. Neckties account for 10% of the company's annual sales.
Partnership with the Tuareg
For years, Hermès has partnered with
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...
tribesmen for silver jewelry. The
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
n
nomad
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
s' traditional motifs are often mirrored in various Hermès products, including scarves.
Leather Goods
Hermès is known for its handmade luggage and handbags. One of them might require 18 to 24 hours to produce. The construction of each
Kelly bag
The Kelly bag (formerly known as the Sac à dépêches in 1935) is a leather handbag designed by the Paris-based, high-fashion luxury-goods manufacturer Hermès. The bag was redesigned several times before it was popularized by and then named aft ...
, for example, requires 18 hours to fully realize.
Hermès's leathers come from all over the world. Customers may currently wait from six months to one year for delivery of one of the house's signature bags. Incidentally, should Hermès's leather goods require repair, owners can bring an item to any Hermès store, where it will be shipped to Les Ateliers Hermès in
Pantin for repair or reconditioning.
Another famous Hermès handbag, the "
Birkin bag
The Birkin bag (or simply Birkin) is a kind of tote bag introduced in 1984 by the French luxury goods maker Hermès. Birkin bags are handmade from leather and are named after the English-French actress and singer Jane Birkin.
The bag quickly b ...
", was named after British actress
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, Order of British Empire, OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an English-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She als ...
. In a chance encounter with Jean-Louis Dumas, she complained that her bag was not practical for everyday use. Consequently, he invited her to France where they co-designed the bag in 1984. Birkin has since stopped carrying her namesake bag due to her
tendonitis
Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elb ...
, as the bag became too large and heavy for her to carry. Asked by her that her name be removed and with much back-and-forth comments about various issues such as having her name removed. According to ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'': "Jane Birkin 'is satisfied by the measures taken by Hermès', according to the brand, following an investigation by the fashion house
hat refuted
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
claims made by
PETA
Peta or PETA may refer to:
Acronym
* Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943
* People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization
* People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...
that its famous Birkin bags were being 'constructed from the skins of factory-farmed and cruelly slaughtered crocodiles.' "
In 2021, the Farm Transparency Project released video footage from three Australian crocodile farms owned by Hermès, which showed the small cages and concrete floors the animals live on and how they are slaughtered, including by stabbing and electrocution.
File:Kelly Bag.jpg, A Kelly bag
The Kelly bag (formerly known as the Sac à dépêches in 1935) is a leather handbag designed by the Paris-based, high-fashion luxury-goods manufacturer Hermès. The bag was redesigned several times before it was popularized by and then named aft ...
File:Hermes Ostrich Birkin Bag.jpg, Exotic leathers of the bags make them highly valuable and noticeable, ''e.g.'', ostrich leather
File:Hermes Birkin.JPG, A Birkin bag
The Birkin bag (or simply Birkin) is a kind of tote bag introduced in 1984 by the French luxury goods maker Hermès. Birkin bags are handmade from leather and are named after the English-French actress and singer Jane Birkin.
The bag quickly b ...
Perfumery
Since 1951, the company has created a number of scents for both men and women, as well as unisex lines. The Hermès line of perfumes includes classic perfumes such as Calèche introduced in 1961 and more recent creations including Terre d'Hermès. The main creator/nose of Hermès perfumes is Jean-Claude Ellena
Feminine fragrances
Masculine fragrances
The Garden Collection
Colognes
Unisex
*Eau de Hermes, 1951
*Voyage de Hermes, 2016 (eau de toilette and parfum)
Hermessence scents exclusive to Hermès boutiques
Crystal lighting and glass
Belonging to the group is the crystal glass manufacturer
Saint-Louis, the oldest
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
company in the world. Since its founding in 1586, Saint-Louis has drawn design inspiration from the decorative periods of the 19th and 20th centuries, from the Restoration to Modern styles, through Napoléon III,
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and
Art Déco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
. Saint-Louis became one of the Hermès Group Métiers in 1989.
The Hermès Foundation
The Hermès Foundation was launched in 2008. It is chaired by Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the artistic director of Hermès, and directed by Catherine Tsekenis.
The Foundation embodies the group's goal to sponsor and support creation and craftsmanship activities.
In 2010, it launched the biannual Emile Hermès Prize that rewards an innovative project in the field of design. In 2014, the three winners who shared the first prize, chaired by Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, were Johan Brunel and Samuel Misslen for their "Ventilated Capsule," Antoine Lesur and Marc Venot for "Hut," and Paul Tubiana for "Leon." In 2012, the Foundation participated in the "New Settings" show for the promotion of the arts. In 2013, the Foundation supported the exhibition of works by young artists shown at the
Palais de Tokyo. In January 2014, it has pledged a three-year support of the Cité internationale of
Aubusson tapestry
Aubusson tapestry is tapestry manufactured at Aubusson, in the upper valley of the Creuse in central France. The term often covers the similar products made in the nearby town of Felletin, whose products are often treated as "Aubusson". The i ...
.
The Foundation operates several contemporary art spaces, including La Verrière in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium, Le Forum in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan, and Atelier Hermès in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, South Korea.
Shareholder structure
By 31 December 2016, the Hermès family, as partners of Émile Hermès SARL and their family members, collectively owned 65.1% of the share capital of Hermès International S.A. through a number of asset holding companies and direct ownerships, which entitled the family to 74.8% of the voting rights on allocation of net income and 77.2% on all other matters.
Luxury-goods conglomerate
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...
held 20.21% of shares (amassed in the latter half of 2010) and 13.08% of votes at the same date, with 0.39% of shares held as treasury stock and the remaining 16.61% as
free float. Speculation that LVMH would launch a takeover bid for Hermès has been repeatedly denied
by its chairman
Bernard Arnault. Some industry insiders have been in doubt, such as
René Weber, an analyst at
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
's
Vontobel
Vontobel Holding AG is a Swiss private banking and investment management group headquartered in Zurich. Established in 1924, as of August 2021, Vontobel has over 2,000 employees across 26 worldwide locations. Vontobel group's core businesses ar ...
Investment Banking, who has claimed: "Arnault is not afraid of a fight and a lot of his battles have been successful for him and his shareholders. Whether he can eventually succeed with
takeover ofHermès is still an open question." Bertrand Puech, who chairs the main Hermès family
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
, has criticised LVMH's acquisition of Hermès shares and called on the company to reduce its stake by half.
See also
*
Mesarchitecture
*
Revenge buying
Revenge buying (also known as revenge shopping or revenge spending) refers to a sudden surge in the purchase of consumer goods after people are denied the opportunity to shop for extended periods of time. The revenge buying mechanism is thought to ...
References
Bibliography
External links
Official websiteOfficial Foundation Enterprise Hermès website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermes
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CAC 40
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8th arrondissement of Paris
Comité Colbert members
Hermès-Dumas family