Hermès
Hermès (in English generally pronounced [ɛrˈmɛz]) is a leather goods, fashion, and perfume company based in Paris, France.
Company history
Founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès as a saddlery company, the business has been owned by a family member ever since. Today, the house of Hermès produces ready-to-wear fashion, home decor, jewellery, luggage, and fragrances as well as saddles. The company operates boutiques and franchises in 34 countries.
Emile-Maurice Hermès, Thierry's successor, shifted the focus of the company at the turn of the 20th century away from the horse and towards plane, car, and train travel. Hermès manufactured trunks, bags, overnight cases, from its signature saddle leather. Emile also purchased the building at Rue Faubourg St.-Honoré 24 in Paris, which still houses the flagship store as well as the workshops.
Robert Dumas, the husband of one of Emile's four daughters, introduced Hermès ties, fragrances, and beach towels. His son, Jean-Louis Dumas, has led the company since 1978.
Scarves
One of Hermès' most recognized products is the silk scarf. The first silk scarf square in the Hermès collection was produced in 1928, and in 1937 a dedicated scarf factory was established in Lyon. The modern Hermès scarf measures 90cm square, weighs 65 grams and is woven from the silk of 250 mulberry moth cocoons. The per-pound cost of a scarf today is approximately $1,965.00 (compared to a pound of steel at $0.19).
All Hermès scarves are hand-printed using multiple silk screens (up to 30, one for each color on the scarf) and the hems are all hand-stitched. Two scarf collections per year are released, along with re-prints of older designs and limited editions. Since 1937, Hermès has produced over 25,000 designs.
The Brides De Gala scarf, first introduced in the 1970s, has been sold over 70,000 times. A Hermès scarf is sold somewhere in the world every 25 seconds, global volume sales peaking in the late 1980s at over 1.1 million scarves. There has been some suggestion that the hijab controversy has dampened sales of women's headscarves, with Hermès volumes suffering as a result.[citation needed] New scarves retail at $320 and still account for a significant percentage of Hermès’ turnover.
Famous lovers of the Hermès scarf included Queen Elizabeth II (who wore one in a portrait for a British postage stamp in the 1950s), Grace Kelly (who used an Hermès scarf as a sling for her broken arm), Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve and Jacqueline Bouvier Onassis. More recently, Sharon Stone, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hillary Clinton, Elle McPherson and Madonna have all been photographed wearing the scarves.
In addition to fine silk scarves, men's neckties are made out of the same silks and with the same care. Famous wearers include US Senator John Kerry. Hermès ties cost $145.
Leather goods
Hermès handbags have always been coveted pieces of handmade leather craftmanship. Hermès does not use assembly lines, rather, only one artist may work on one handbag at a time. Because of the use of rare materials (sometimes including exotic skins such as alligator, crocodile, ostrich and lizard as well as precious metals) and because only the highest quality craftmanship is accepted, one bag can take 18 to 24 hours to create.
The Kelly bag was named for Grace Kelly, who made it famous after appearing on the cover of Life in 1956 carrying the bag. Jacqueline Bouvier Onassis, another Hermès aficionado, preferred the Constance shoulder bag (with a double strap and large H clasp) or the Trim shoulder bag. Perhaps the most famous handbag, the Birkin, was named for actress Jane Birkin, who co-designed the bag with president Jean-Louis Dumas after complaining that her Kelly was not practical for everyday use. Jane Birkin has since given up carrying her namesake bag, saying it contributed to her tendonitis. [1]
More recently, the Birkin bag has been featured in television shows such as Sex and the City, Will & Grace and Gilmore Girls. Generally, these bags start at $7,400 and easily make their way into 5-digit, sometimes 6-digit figures.
The wait time for a Birkin can be up to two years, based on the type of leather or skin requested.
Perfumery
Hermès moved into perfumery in 1951, with Eau d'Hermès, created by Edmond Roudnitska. It now sells a range of fragrances for men and women, including Eau d'Orange Verte, created by Françoise Caron (1979), Calèche, and 24 Faubourg, a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Partnersip with the Tuareg
For years Hermès has partnered with Tuareg inadan on silver jewerly. The famous Saharan nomads traditonal motiffs are often imitated by various Hermès products including some of French company's trade mark scarves. Often Hermès commisions Tuareg artists to work on silver jewelry as well.3
Oprah Winfrey controversy
In June 2005, celebrity Oprah Winfrey was denied access to the company's flagship store in Paris afterhours. Winfrey's camp spoke of a rude clerk and manager and suggested racism as the reason for the denied access. Hermès stated that Winfrey had simply shown up after hours and during a special public relations event and was turned away.[2] Oprah has since talked about her experience on her television talk-show which featured Robert Chavez, Hermes USA CEO, as a guest. Chavez apologized on camera for the actions of what he said was "one very, very rigid staff person" and Winfrey subsequently endorsed the company.[3]
Corporate information
Hermès is still 80 percent family-owned, with the other 20 percent traded on the Paris Bourse since 1993.
Jean-Louis Dumas has led the company since 1978.
Today, leather goods make up nearly 30 percent of the business, clothes 15 percent, and scarves 12 percent.
- 35% participation at Jean-Paul Gaultier company.
- large share of Leica
- Full ownership of Parisian shoemaker John Lobb acquired 1976.
Trivia
The company was recently featured in the Japanese movie and TV series Densha Otoko, in which a set of teacups with the Hermès logo was given as a gift that lead to the union of the two main characters.
The company was recently mentioned in the song Upgrade U by R&B artist Beyonce featuring Jay Z
Hermès silk scarf was mentioned by name as the object used to tie down a person in bed in Basic Instinct.
Hermès silk scarf was recently metioned in the film The Devil Wears Prada starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway