The history of Hermes
Today’s article is about the luxury brand Hermes, which is 178 years old and has been managed by the Hermes family for 6 generations.
1: The beginning of the Hermes brand
The founder of this brand, Mr. Thierry Hermes Jr., started his career in 1837 by making saddles and riding equipment for the French nobility, and because of the quality of these saddles, he won the First Class prize twice at the Paris World Fair.
And now it has become very famous because of these beautiful bags.
2: The second generation of Hermes
After the death of the great Hermès, his son Charles Emile Hermès took over the management of Hermès in 1880, which:
- He moved the location of the Hermès store to Faubourg Saint-Honore, which is the current location of Hermès in France.
- And it caused the globalization and expansion of the Hermes brand and the export of its products to other countries.
3: The third generation of Hermes
In 1902, Charles Emile Hermès entrusted the management of Hermès to his two sons, Adolphe and Emile Maurice. And the name of Hermes was changed to the brothers of Hermes.
4: To monopolize the right to use zip
In 1914, Emil Morris equipped all Russian tsars with saddles and employed up to 80 saddle craftsmen. This gave Emile Maurice the exclusive right to use zippers on leather goods and clothes.
He was the first person in France to use a zipper, which was a very strange and new product at that time.
Later, in 1918, he made the first leather golf jacket with a zipper for Edward, Prince of Wales, United Kingdom.
The interesting thing about these zippers is that since Hermès had exclusive rights in France, zippers were known as Hermès connectors at that time.
5: Adolphe’s separation from Hermes
In 1919, due to the decline in sales of Hermes products, Adolf Hermes left the company and sold his share to his brother Emile Maurice.
6: The first handbag in Hermes
The first collection of leather handbags produced under the name of Hermès was produced by Emile Maurice himself (the third generation of Hermès) in 1922, after his wife Kelly complained that she could not find a handbag she liked in all of Paris.
7: The presence of Hermes in the United States
In 1924, the Hermès brand opened two new stores in the French Quarter in the United States of America.
8: Production of women’s clothing in Hermes
And in 1929, he produced his first collection of women’s clothing, which included bathing and beach wear and was previewed in Paris.
9: Hermes Kelly bag
But in 1935, Hermes introduced one of its main products, the Sac a Depeches, to the market, which later became known as the Kelly Bag.
Now why, Kelly?
In 1956, this photo changed the name of the city. This photo was of Grace Kelly, the Princess of Monaco, who was holding Hermes’ “Sac à dépêches” bag in front of her to cover her pregnancy. After this photo, Hermes changed the name of the bag to Kelly.
10: Hermes silk scarves
In 1937, Hermes introduced silk scarves, which immediately attracted the attention of people like Jacqueline Kennedy and the beautiful Audrey Hepburn, which doubled their popularity and sales.
Of course, we should not neglect its quality. because all Hermès products are handmade, including fabrics.
According to a report, the amount of silk used to make 1000 Carrés scarves with dimensions of 90 x 90 cm, if laid flat, would cover the distance between the earth and the moon!
In other words, each Carré de Hermès scarf is made of 450,000 meters of silk extracted from the cocoons of 300 butterflies on two mulberry trees.
It is interesting to know that today, Hermes sells a silk scarf every 20 seconds!
These scarves (including the small handkerchiefs) start at $100.
(approximately 2,500 million) and goes up to $7,800 (19 million).
Footnote: So your scarf of 90 x 90 pounds is not original.
11: Other Hermes Products
In 1938, the Chaine d’Ancre bracelet, jackets, and riding clothes were added to the classic Hermes collection, and I must say that Hermes designers were inspired by books, paintings, and art objects at that time.
Also in 1950, the perfume line was added to this collection.
12: Death of Emile Maurice Hermes (third generation of Hermes)
In 1951, Emile Morris (the third generation) died, and the management of Hermes fell into the hands of Robert Dumas Hermes, the wife of Jacqueline Hermes, the daughter of Emile Morris, and Jean Rene Guerrand, the wife of Aline Hermes, the other daughter of Emile Morris.
It’s worth noting that it was critical for Hermes that this business remain in the hands of the Hermes family; thus, their son-in-law, who rose to prominence within the brand, changed his name from Rubert Dumas to Robert Dumas Hermes.
13: The Story of Hermes’ Orange Boxes
The backstory of these orange boxes, which come in 188 different sizes and which we all adore, is as follows:
At first, its color was cream, and its edges were gilded. But in 1950, after World War II, due to the lack of raw materials for boxes, Hermès used pigskin to make them and made them in the form they are now. So, technically, these orange boxes, which won the Best Packaging Oscar in 1994, were just an accident!
14: Hermes Birkin bag
In 1983, Jean-Louis Dumas, the executive director of Hermès, was sitting next to Jane Birkin (the famous English actress) on a flight from Paris to London. During the trip, Birkin’s wicker bag, which was in the compartment above his chair, fell on the floor and all his belongings spilled out.
Birkin explained to Dumas how difficult it is to find a leather bag that he likes and can fit all his things in.
Dumas also went to the workshop and made this bag .
Then Birkin spoiled himself and said, “I don’t want this bag anymore because it is too heavy; please give me my wicker bag.”
Then he said, “Please don’t name the bag with crocodile skin after me because I heard you are bothering the crocodiles.” (This matter was resolved, and the bags are still called Birkin.)
15: The current management of Hermes
As I mentioned earlier, after Emile-Maurice Hermes (3rd generation Hermes) (who had 2 daughters) Hermes was run by his son-in-law Rubert Dumas Hermes. And since 2012, Axel Dumas Hermes (the sixth generation of the Hermes family) has been appointed as the CEO of the company and has remained in this position until today.
16: The price of Hermes bags
Another thing about Hermès, especially the bags of this brand, is that it is off-limits only twice a year, which does not include Kelly and Birkin bags.
And the price of its bags ranges from approximately $9400 (approximately $225 million) to $13,200 (approximately 400 million), and the limited edition bags have higher prices.
(God forbid, if I buy this and two tomans, I will commit suicide.)
In addition, to have it, you have to wait between 6 months and 6 years.
Of course, the small-size bags are $4600 (approximately 115 million).
And the most expensive one is made of crocodile skin, and the price is $82,933, which is more than one billion dollars.
