Hermès

Hermès (French pronunciation [ɛʀ.mɛs] ^[1], typical American English [ɛɻˈmɛz], typical British English [ɛːˈmɛz]) is a leather goods, fashion, and perfume company based in Paris. It is widely regarded as among the most prestigious and exclusive fashion houses in the world and is known for its famous "H" logo.

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Company history

Founded in 1836 by Thierry Hermès as a saddlery company, the business has remained mostly in the control of the Hermès family for almost two hundred years. Today, the house of Hermès produces ready-to-wear fashion, home decor, jewelery, luggage, and fragrances as well as saddles.

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, and 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 workshops.

Robert Dumas, the husband of one of Emile's four daughters, introduced Hermès ties, fragrances, and beach towels. His son, Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès, was the fifth Chairman of Hermès, and led the company from 1978 until January 2006, when he retired. Patrick Thomas, his successor, joined the company in 1989 and is the current CEO.^[2]

By 2007, Hermes had these boutiques in the United States: New York, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Westport, CT, Americana Manhasset, Bal Harbour, Palm Beach, Naples, South Coast Plaza, Dallas, Houston, Troy, Michigan, Palo Alto, CA, Atlanta, Charlotte, King of Prussia, Vienna, Virginia, Las Vegas, and Honolulu at the Ala Moana Center, and Waikiki. Hermès has plans to open more boutiques in Natick Collection (2008), Denver (2008), Bellevue (2009), and Scottsdale (2009).

Hermès silk

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 (43 is the highest number of screens used for one scarf to date, the charity scarf released in 2006, 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 2,500 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, with global volume sales peaking in the late 1980s at over 1.1 million scarves. New scarves retail at $325 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, Mariah Carey, Elle McPherson, and Madonna have all been photographed wearing the scarves. Notoriously, Stone used one for a bondage scene in the film Basic Instinct.

In addition to silk scarves, men's neckties are made out of the same silks. Famous wearers include U.S. Senator John Kerry. Hermès neckties cost between US$155 and $215, though the calfskin version costs around US$600. ^[3]

Leather goods

Though Hermès is most renowned for its saddlery, it also produces handmade luggage and handbag collections. Hermès does not use assembly lines; only one employee may work on one handbag at a time. Due to the labour-intensive nature of Hermès production methods and the use of rare materials (sometimes including exotic skins such as alligator, crocodile, ostrich and lizard as well as precious metals), one bag can take 18 to 24 hours to create.

The Kelly bag was first produced in the 1930's and later nicknamed for Grace Kelly, who made it famous after appearing in the pages 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 company president Jean-Louis Dumas after complaining that her Kelly bag was not practical for everyday use. Jane Birkin has since stopped carrying her namesake bag, saying it contributed to her tendinitis. [1]

More recently, the Birkin bag has been featured in television shows such as Sex and the City, Will & Grace and Girlfriends, as well as on the arms of well-heeled celebrities like Martha Stewart, Jada Pinkett Smith, Victoria Beckham, and Lindsay Lohan. Generally, the price of Birkin bags starts in the $6,000 range and can sometimes reach into 5-digit, or even 6-digit figures.

The wait for a special order Birkin can be up to six years, based on the type of leather or skin requested.

When Hermès leather goods require repair, owners are encouraged to bring the item back to any Hermès store where it can be shipped to the factory in Paris for repair or reconditioning.

Perfumery

Hermès started its fragrance line in 1951. Over the past fifty-six years the company has created several fragrances for both men and women. Women's fragrances include the newly created Kelly Calèche, Eau de Marveilles, 24 Faubourg, Calèche, Rouge Hermès, Hiris, Parfum d'Hermes and Amazone. Men's fragrances include: Terre D'Hermès, Rocabar, Equipage, and Bel Ami. Fragrances that are made for both men and women are: Eau d'Orange Verte, Un Jardin sur le Nil, Un Jardin en Mediterranee and Eau D'Hermès.

Partnership with the Tuareg

For years Hermès has partnered with Tuareg tribesmen on silver jewelry. The famous Saharan nomads' traditional motifs are often imitated by various Hermès products including some of the French company's trademark scarves.

Oprah Winfrey controversy

In June 2005, celebrity Oprah Winfrey was denied access to the company's flagship store in Paris after hours. 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 an episode of her television talk-show which featured Robert Chavez, Hermès 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

Seventy-one percent of Hermès' shares have been traded on the Paris Bourse since 1993, while the remaining 29 percent are held by the family. The current CEO is Patrick Thomas, who replaced Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès in January 2006. Thomas has been with the company since 1989.^[2] Today, leather goods make up 30 percent of the business, clothes 15 percent, and scarves 12 percent.

The company acquired ownership of shoemaker John Lobb in 1976 and sells ready-to-wear shoes under this brand; however, the bespoke shoemaker's original shop in London remains under the control of the Lobb family. Hermès also has a 35% stake in the Jean-Paul Gaultier company.

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 Hermès briefcase was recently mentioned in the song "Upgrade U" by R&B artist Beyoncé featuring Jay Z.
• The Hermès silk scarf was mentioned by name as the object used to tie down a person in bed in the film Basic Instinct.
• The Hermès silk scarf was mentioned in the book The Devil Wears Prada, and also in the 2006 movie based on the book starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. In the book, Miranda wears white Hermès scarves with nearly every outfit and leaves them everywhere she goes, then demands more of them, believing that they are easily replaceable.
• The Birkin Bag is mentioned in the book Everyone Worth Knowing by the same author, Lauren Weisberger.
• In Girlfriends, Toni Childs purchases both the Birkin and Kelly bags after discovering that her plastic surgeon husband is in debt.
• A Kelly Bag plays an important role in the film Le Divorce.
• In the Sex and the City episode "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda", Samantha Jones drops Lucy Liu's name to move up the waitlist for her Birkin bag.
• Wilhemina receives an Hermès scarf from Alexis in the Ugly Betty episode "Icing on the Cake", which she treats with great disdain.
• In CW's show Gilmore Girls, Rory receives a Birkin bag as a gift.
• The Birkin bag is featured in the Will and Grace episode, "Last Ex To Brooklyn" in Season 6^[4].
• In the movie The Princess Diaries" when Mia (Anne Hathaway) is being taught correct posture by her 'Grandmère' (Julie Andrews), Grandmère uses Hermés scarves to hold Mia's shoulders back against a chair, promping Mia to say that she didn't know it was a custom in Genovia to "imprison one's dinner guests with Hermès (which she pronounces her-mees) scarves." Grandmère corrects her pronunciation.

References

Coordinates: 48°52′8.16″N, 2°19′18.33″E