Hermès

Hermes is a French brand that began in 1837 in the emblematic city of Paris, the capital of France and a reflection of all the great French brands. French luxury brands are renowned for their know-how and the quality of their work. Thierry Hermes is the man who created the Hermes brand, which is world-renowned for the quality of its leather and its incredible know-how.
Today we know Hermes for leather goods, jewelry, shoes and more... But in the beginning, Hermes was not a brand specializing in leather goods. Hermes was a brand known for its harnesses, for the horse harnesses it proposed to make to measure, at the base Hermes was a brand specialized in all those which say accesories for horses. Hermes became known the world over for its elegance, its finesse.

Where did the very first Hermes boutique open its doors?

The very first Hermès boutique was opened in 1880 by Thiery Hemes' son, Charles Emilie Hermes, in the Faubourg Saint Honoré, a small alleyway in the city of Paris. Today, in 2023, this boutique still exists and is one of the busiest Hermès stores in Paris. The street has become a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. It is home to most of France's luxury brands, including Hermès, which was one of the first to set up shop on this square, which has become a favorite haunt of the wealthy.

The street has become a Paris landmark.
In 1922, Charles Emilie Hermes' son, Emilie Hermes, decided to innovate and launch a leather goods business, inspired by the opening of military soft tops. He therefore decided to start with luggage, which had the special feature of a zipper, unfamiliar to many in the old days. Emilie Hermes was always an inspiration and a great contribution to the Hermes brand.

When did Hermes start expanding its product range?

In 1925, Hermes decided to broaden its product range and began producing men's clothing, the very first of which was a golf jacket. In 1927 Hermes moved into jewelry, and in 1928 into watches.

In 1937 Hermes decided to produce an accessory that became very popular and continues to be so. This accessory is quite simply a square of silk. Each silk square is unique. Hermes uses silk because it reflects the elegance of the brand. Many people give themselves silk squares for birthdays or other special occasions. It’s an accessory that can be used in many different ways and for many different styles of dress. It’s an accessory that will never go out of fashion.
Hermes also launched a line of ties in 1949, in the image of the brand.
In 1951, Émile Hermès passed on her position to her sons-in-law, so that they could keep the family business and preserve the brand image.

In 1956, the brand’s emblematic bag made its appearance. This bag was nicknamed the “Kelly”, the Kelly of Hermes. The bag was created as a tribute to the Princess of Monaco. The bag went viral on the internet thanks to a photo of Grace Kelly wearing it. Since then, the bag has become a Hermes staple. Nowadays, it’s very difficult to get a Kelly, and there’s even a waiting list for the bag, which can last for years. On resale, this bag sells at exorbitant prices, making it a real investment.

In 1967 Hermes decided to move into women’s ready to wear.

In 1984 the very first Birkin was created. The Birkin is at the same height as the Kelly, these are the two emblematic bags of the Hermes brand. The Birkin before being an emblematic bag was first of all a bag created following the request of a client named Jane Birkin who wanted an elegant bag that they could put everything inside and that they could use night or day. The creation of this bag was made during a random meeting on a plane which was bound for London between Jane Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas who made this bag according to the client's request.

The Birkin is the bag to have at Hermès, many people register on the waiting list in order to obtain an appointment to be able to conquer this sea. When you want to buy a Birkin or a Kelly you have to know that it is not accessible to everyone. As I said to you, generally we are registered on lists in order to be able to buy one. Sometimes we can wait 1 year, 2 years or even more, it will depend on the demand at the time. It may happen that you enter one of their shops and they offer it to you directly, but this happens very rarely. When we buy a Birkin or a Kelly they will first look at the purchases we have already made in the store, they will also ask us questions to see if we are there because it is the bag of our dreams, or if we are there to buy and resell it to make a profit.
These two emblematic bags of the brand, when you can acquire one, you should know that you cannot buy others in stores the same year.
Hermès decided to put this method in place because many people were making money on these bags. Let's take the example of a Birkin. The minimum price in shops is 8000 euros, and if we want to buy it second hand it takes at least 20000 euros.

To conclude, we can see a great evolution of the Hermès brand for several years, Hermès is a world-famous brand that is enormously appreciated. Hermès is not in the perspective of having many customers, its objective is to have quality customers. That's why Hermes and a brand that have a price increase every year because they really want to select their customers. And above all, to remain a prestigious brand that is not accessible to everyone.