Hermès holds a very special position in the luxury world. The history of the Maison Hermès began in Paris in 1837 when the founding father, Thierry Hermès inaugurated a harness and saddle workshop, providing equestrian riding supplies to European noble houses. The family officially started to operate in the “fashion industry” at the beginning of 1900’s, when his sons took over the business and began to offer courier bags (designed to store saddles) and, by the 20’s, their first leather handbags equipped with their patented zipper and leather garments for the Prince of Wales, were produced.
In the early 1950’s the company began to use the famous logo (a Duke carriage with a horse) based on a drawing by a famous French painter, on their iconic orange boxes.
Today Hermes is still a family company whose craftspeople make, often by hand, bags and belts, diaries and dishes, scarves and shoes, perfumes and purses, ties and travelling accessories, furniture, as well as gloves, hats, watches, jewelry and clothes. They also still dress horses as well as helicopters, cars, bicycles, boats, dogs and equestrian gears, creating a world where beauty and functionality, practicality and pure indulgence are in perfect harmony.
Hermès would not be what it is today without its iconic bags “Kelly” and “Birkin”. One Birkin or Kelly takes approximately 48 hours to make and only about five units are manufactured each week. One of Hermès’ core principles is that each bag is made by the same artisan, from start to finish.
Hermès has been consistently ranked as the world’s most valuable luxury brand in different valuation and ranking studies and as a brand, enjoys an iconic status in the world of luxury. The company employs 13000 employees and makes its products available through a global network of 304 exclusive stores and airport duty-free stores.
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