Hermès

Hermès International S.A.

Hermès flagship, 24 Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Paris
Company type	Public (Société Anonyme)
Traded as	Euronext Paris: RMS CAC 40 component
Industry	Luxury goods
Founded	1837; 188 years ago (1837) in Paris
Founder	Thierry Hermès
Headquarters	24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré – 75008 Paris, France 48°52′08″N 02°19′18″E / 48.86889°N 2.32167°E / 48.86889; 2.32167
Key people	Axel Dumas (Executive Chairman), Henri-Louis Bauer (Executive Manager and Chairman, Emile Hermès SARL), Éric de Seynes (Chairman, Supervisory Board), Pierre-Alexis Dumas (Artistic Executive Vice President)
Products	Clothing and accessories
Revenue	€15.17 billion (2024)[1]
Operating income	€6.15 billion (2024)
Net income	€4.60 billion (2024)
Total assets	€23.08 billion (2024)
Total equity	€17.33 billion (2024)
Owners	Hermès family and others (see shareholder structure)
Number of employees	25,185 (2024)
Website	hermes.com

Hermès International S.A. (/ɛərˈmɛz/ ^ⓘ air-MEZ, French: [ɛʁmɛs] ^ⓘ) is a French luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear.^[2] Since the 1950s, its logo has been a depiction of a petit-duc [fr] horse-drawn carriage.^[3]

Thierry Hermès, founder of the company that would bear his name, was born on 10 January 1801 in Krefeld, in Germany, to a French father and a German mother.^[4][5] He settled in 1829 in Normandy, in Pont-Audemer, a town renowned for working hides.^[6] There, he was employed as an apprentice to a saddlery and harness maker [fr].^[6] Having become a master craftsman, he returned to Paris in 1837 where he opened his first workshop, at number 56 on the former rue Basse-du-Rempart [fr], near the church of La Madeleine.^[7][8][9] His trade consisted of designing, making and selling high-quality harness and other equipment for horses.^[10][11] Thierry Hermès won several awards, including a first-class medal at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, which gave him access to a prestigious clientele, including world leaders such as the tsar Nicholas II.^[10][11][12] He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1878.^[13]

In 1880, Charles-Émile Hermès, son of Thierry Hermès, took over the direction of the company.^[4] He moved it at 24 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, where Hermès International is still headquartered today.^[14] In 1889, assisted by his two sons, Adolphe and Émile-Maurice Hermès, he expanded the company's activities to include the manufacture of equestrian and leather goods for riders, such as horse blankets and silk casaques.^[11] Adolphe and Émile-Maurice succeeded their father in 1902, creating Hermès Frères.^[14] Shortly after, Émile-Maurice began furnishing the emperor of Russia with saddles.^[5] Émile-Maurice also created the Haut à Courroies bag for horsemen, to carry their saddle and boots.^[14]

During World War I, he traveled to America.^[4] The country was booming, and transportation, particularly the automobile, was progressing.^[4] Émile-Maurice Hermès banked on the growth of the luggage market.^[4] On his return, he and his brother applied their expertise as saddlery and harness makers, including “saddle stitch” sewing.^[4] He also returned from this trip with the zipper technology, which he introduced to leather goods and fashion.^[15] Subsequently, Émile-Maurice was granted the exclusive rights to use the zipper for leather goods and clothing, becoming the first to introduce the device in France.^[8] In 1918, Hermès introduced the first leather golf jacket with a zipper, made for Edward, Prince of Wales.^[12] Because of its exclusive rights arrangement the zipper became known in France as the fermeture Hermès (Hermès fastener).^[11]

In 1919, Émile-Maurice Hermès bought out his brother and became sole proprietor.^[16] He extended the business to travel accessories, sports, automobiles, jewellery and fashion.^[17][8][9]In 1922, the first leather handbags were introduced after Émile-Maurice's wife complained of not being able to find one to her liking. Émile-Maurice created the handbag collection himself.^[5] In the 1920s and 1930s, the designer Lola Prusac created and developed a line of clothing adapted to the emerging beach and mountain sports.^[17][18] Hermès fashion then appealed to an affluent clientele of all nationalities.^[14]

In the 1930s, Émile-Maurice's three sons-in-law, Robert Dumas, Jean René Guerrand and Francis Puech, joined the company, and created the ladies' bag with straps, which was revisited and christened the Kelly bag in the 1950s.^[16] Guerrand developed the perfumery business, while Dumas spearheaded the development of leather goods and silk.^[16] It was during World War II that orange, imposed by shortages and stockouts caused by the German occupation of France, became the official color of the house.^[19] At the same time, Émile-Maurice Hermès chose the drawing Duc attelé, groom à l'attente, by Alfred de Dreux to illustrate the Hermès logo.^[20]

In 1924, Hermès established a presence in the United States and opened two shops outside of Paris. In 1929, the first women's couture apparel collection was previewed in Paris.^[5] During the 1930s, Hermès introduced some of its most recognized original goods^[8] such as the leather "Sac à dépêches" in 1935, and the Hermès carrés (square scarves) in 1937.^[8] The scarves became integrated into French culture.^[9] In 1938, the "Chaîne d'ancre" bracelet and the riding jacket and outfit joined the classic collection. By this point, the company's designers began to draw inspirations from paintings, books, and objets d'art.^[8] The 1930s also witnessed Hermès's entry into the United States market by offering products in a Neiman Marcus department store in New York; however, it later withdrew.^[9] In 1949, the same year as the launch of the Hermès silk tie, the first perfume, "Eau d'Hermès", was produced.

From the mid-1930s, Hermès employed the Swiss watchmaker Universal Genève as the brand's first and exclusive designer of timepieces, producing a line of men's wrist chronographs^[21] (manufactured in 18K gold or stainless steel) and women's Art Déco cuff watches in 18K gold, steel, or platinum. Both models contained dials signed either "Hermès" or "Hermès Universal Genève", while the watch movements were signed "Universal Genève S.A.". The Hermès/Universal partnership lasted until the 1950s.^[22]

Émile-Maurice summarized the Hermès philosophy during his leadership as "leather, sport, and a tradition of refined elegance."^[11]

Robert Dumas took over as head of Hermès on the death of his father-in-law in 1951, while closely collaborating with his brother-in-law Jean-René Guerrand.^[16][8] He introduced original handbags, jewelry, and accessories and was particularly interested in design possibilities with the silk scarves.^[8] During the mid-20th century, scarf production diminished.^[9] World Tempus, a web portal dedicated to watchmaking, states: "Brought to life by the magic wand of Annie Beaumel, the windows of the store on the [rue du] Faubourg Saint-Honoré became a theatre of enchantment and [established the store as] a Parisian meeting-place for international celebrities."^[8]

A few years after the 1947 creation of Comptoir Nouveau de la Parfumerie, launched on the initiative of Jean-René Guerrand, the house's first perfumes were produced in France, such as the perfume Calèche in 1961.^[23] Eau d'Hermès, created by Edmond Roudnitska in 1951, harked back to the company's origins, its fragrance recalling that of leather.^[24]

In the 1950s, the Kelly bag, then simply called a lady's small strap bag, found its name when a photograph of Grace Kelly, the new princess of Monaco wearing the bag, was published in Life magazine and went around the world.^[25] The late 1960s saw the appearance of the first women's ready-to-wear lines, designed by Catherine de Károlyi.^[26] The company made its international debut, opening stores in Europe, Asia and the United States.^[27]

Despite apparent success in the 1970s, exemplified by multiple stores having been established worldwide, including one in The Peninsula Hong Kong in 1975, Hermès declined relative to its competitors, industry observers attributed this decline to Hermès' insistence on exclusively using natural materials for its products, a differentiation from competitors that were using new, synthetic materials.^[9] A two-week lapse in orders exemplified this shift: the Hermès workrooms were silent.^[9] A market shift from artificial ingredients back to natural materials renewed demand for Hermès' fragrances and improved the company's prospects, contributing to the re-establishment of Hermès as a major player in the fragrance industry.^[28]

Jean-Louis Dumas, the son of Robert Dumas-Hermès, traveled extensively,^[5] studying in the buyer-training program at Bloomingdale's, the New York department store, and joined the family firm in 1964.^[29] He took over in 1978 and developed new businesses within Hermès.^[30] He created the watchmaking subsidiary La Montre Hermès, in Bienne, Switzerland, and steered the acquisitions of English John Lobb Bootmaker, glass manufacturer Saint-Louis and goldsmith Puiforcat.^[4] From the 1980s, tableware became a strong segment of the firm.^[9] And, overall, the collection of Hermès goods expanded in 1990 to include over 30,000 pieces. New materials used in the collection included porcelain and crystal.^[11]

Dumas brought in designers Eric Bergère and Bernard Sanz to revamp the apparel collection and, in collaboration, added unusual entries. They included the python motorcycle jackets and ostrich-skin jeans, which were dubbed as "a snazzier version of what Hermès has been all along." Annual sales in 1978, when Jean-Louis became head of the firm, were reported at US$50 million.^[9] By 1990, annual sales were reported at US$460 million, mainly due to Dumas's strategy.

The first advertising campaign, featuring a young girl in jeans wearing a silk square, marked the desire to appeal to a new clientele and breaks with the house's traditional codes.^[31] In 1984, a discussion with his neighbor during a flight from Paris to London, Jane Birkin, led him to design the Birkin Bag.^[10] Jean-Louis Dumas also recruited new talent such as designer Martin Margiela to modernize the ready-to-wear collections.^[4] Hermès then relocated its workshops and design studios to Pantin, just outside Paris.^[8]

In 1989, Hermès became a limited partnership, before being listed on the Stock Exchange four years later.^[16] At the time, the equity sale generated great excitement. The 425,000 shares floated at FFr 300 (US$55 at the time) were oversubscribed by 34 times.^[9] Dumas told Forbes magazine that the equity sale would help lessen family tensions by allowing some members to liquidate their holdings without "squabbling over share valuations among themselves."^[9] To this time, the Hermès family was still retaining a strong hold of about 80% in stocks, placing Jean-Louis Dumas and the entire family on the Forbes list of billionaires.^[9] Mimi Tompkins of U.S. News & World Report called the company "one of Paris' best guarded jewels."

In the following years, Dumas decreased Hermès franchises from 250 to 200 and increased company-owned stores from 60 to 100 to better control sales of its products.^[9] The plan was to cost about FFr 200 million in the short term but to increase profits in the long term. Having around FFr 500 million to invest, Hermès pressed ahead, targeting China for company-operated boutiques, finally opening a store in The Peninsula Beijing in 1997.^[32] By the late 1990s, Hermès continued extensively to diminish the number of franchised stores, buying them up and opening more company-operated boutiques. The fashion industry was caught off guard in September 1999, when Jean-Louis decided to pay FFr 150 million for a 35% stake in the Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion house.^[9] In the latter part of the 1900s, the company encouraged its clientele to faites nous rêver (make us dream), producing throughout the period artistically atypical orders.

Hermès acquired a 35% stake in Jean Paul Gaultier in 1999.^[33] In 2004, Jean-Paul Gaultier was appointed head of women's ready-to-wear, succeeding Martin Margiela.^[33][5] He would remain there for seven years^[34] and Hermès would eventually sell its shares to the Spanish group Puig.^[35] Also in 2004, Jean-Claude Ellena became the in-house perfumer or "nose" and has created several successful scents, including the Hermessence line of fragrances.^[5] This was followed by the acquisition of several plants to secure supplies of raw materials, but also tanneries, including Tannerie d'Annonay, bought out from its employees in 2013^[36] and Tanneries du Puy-en-Velay, bought out from shoemaker J. M. Weston in 2015.^[37] From the 2010s onwards, Hermès also stepped up the number of factories it opened in France, particularly for leather goods. This was done to meet growing demand for products that each require many hours of work, but also to maintain a high level of quality by taking advantage of French craftsmanship.^[38]

Jean-Louis Dumas retired from the group for health reasons in 2006 and appointed Patrick Thomas, with whom he had managed the company in tandem since 2004, as head of Hermès International.^[39] Thomas became the first Hermès executive from outside the founder's family.^[40] Pierre-Alexis Dumas, son of Jean-Louis Dumas, became artistic director of Hermès.^[41] In thirty years, Hermès sales will have risen from 42 million in 1978 to 1.9 billion euros in 2009.^[40] Jean-Louis Dumas died in Paris on 1 May 2010 at the age of 72.^[40]

On 23 October 2010, the LVMH group took a stake in Hermès to around 17.1%, with no official desire to take control.^[16] A financial battle ensued, with the heirs of the Hermès family suspecting Bernard Arnault of wanting to take total control of the family business.^[16] Hermès management then clarified that its status as a management limited partnership protected it from any hostile financial operations, such as a takeover.^[16]

A new holding company, named "H51", made up of 52 of the main shareholder heirs and holding 50.2% of Hermès capital, was created in 2011 to counter the LVMH group.^[42] Julie Guerrand, from the 6th generation, took the helm.^[43] This new entity requires each person with at least 0.5% of the capital to declare his or her name, as the company's management wants to know now who owns what.^[44] At the end of 2014, the confrontations between LVMH and Hermès came to an end with an agreement signed between the two groups.^[45] The majority of Hermès shares acquired by LVMH were redistributed to its own shareholders, including the holding company of Bernard Arnault, LVMH's majority shareholder.^[45] At the end of December 2016, the descendants of Thierry Hermès collectively owned 65.1% of the share capital of Hermès International S.A.^[46] In 2017, Bernard Arnault announced the sale of his remaining shares in Hermès.^[47]

In 2012, the company posted sales of 3.5 billion euros.^[48] That year, sales were divided between five zones: 16% for France, 17% for America, 20% for Europe (excluding France), 12% for Japan and 33% for Asia, excluding Japan.^[49] In 2013, Axel Dumas, a member of the 6th generation of Thierry Hermès descendants, was appointed managing director of Hermès International, replacing Patrick Thomas.^[49] He had been successively France Sales Director, then Managing Director of the jewelry and leather goods-saddlery divisions before becoming Managing Director of the group operations in 2011.^[50] Under his leadership, the decision was taken to expand the company's production and distribution capacities. Hermès announced an increase of its turnover of 9.7 percent representing more than €4 billion in sales.^[51] In March 2018, Hermès opened a multi-story shop at the Dubai Mall.^[52]In 2019, the brand was ranked 33rd in the Forbes List "World's Most Valuable Brands".^[53] The company officially joined the CAC 40 in June 2018, with 57 billion euros in market capitalization.^[54] compared with 600 million euros when it went public in 1993.^[48]

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group saw sales fall by 7% and net income by 9% in 2020.^[55] Nevertheless, it resumed a sustained pace of growth the following year, and announced a net income of 2.445 billion euros on sales of 9 billion euros, higher figures than before the pandemic.^[56] The 2021 review of WIPO's annual World Intellectual Property Indicators ranked Hermès 7th in the world for the 68 industrial design registrations that were published under the Hague System during 2020.^[57] This position is significantly up on their previous 15th-place ranking for their 27 industrial design registrations published in 2019.^[58] In 2021, the group reported a net profit of €2.445 billion and €9 billion in sales, achieving an operating margin of 39.3%. These results surpassed pre-pandemic figures.^[59] Hermès also entered the EURO STOXX 50.^[60]

In March 2022, after the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Hermès announced the suspension of its activities in Russia.^[61][62] About 60 employees were affected across three stores.^[63] In 2024, Hermès' net profit reached €4.6 billion, with a 40.5% operating margin.^[64] Sales growth spanned all regions, totaling €15.2 billion.^[64] Analysts suggest this resilience is due to Hermès impeccable brand image, storytelling, and positioning, as well as citing the broader consumer interest in "quiet luxury".^[65] Hermès presented "Hermès in the Making," a traveling exhibition across France, showcasing its artisanal craftsmanship.^[66] Also in 2023, the company won a copyright lawsuit against American artist Mason Rothschild, who replicated and sold the Birkin bag as an NFT collection.^[67] In the same year, the group announced four new production sites in France: Espagnac, Loupes, Riom, and Charleville-Mézières.^[68]

In April 2025, Hermès announced plans to increase product prices in the United States starting May 1, citing new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration as the cause. The move came as the company reported €4.1 billion in revenue for Q1 2025, a 7.2% year-over-year increase that fell short of analysts' expectations. Despite the softer results, Hermès surpassed LVMH to become the world’s most valuable luxury group.^[69]

Hermès has sixteen product divisions that encompassed leather, scarves, ties, men's wear, women's wear, perfume, watches, stationery, footwear, gloves, enamelware, decorative arts, tableware, beauty, and jewellery. ^[70] The company licenses no products and keeps tight control over the design and manufacture of its vast inventory.^[11] By the end of 2024, Hermès International's divisions, ranked in proportion to their contribution to sales, are distributed as follows:^[71]

• Leather goods and saddlery: 42.6%
• Clothing, footwear and accessories: 29%
• Silk and textile products: 6.3%
• Watches: 3.8%
• Perfumes: 3.5%
• Other (jewellery, tableware, etc.): 14.8%

saddlery and leather crafting are the original Hermès division.^[72] The Hermès leather goods-saddlery branch designs and manufactures all the company's families of leather objects.^[72] Craftsmen working in leather factories in France make riding and travel goods, women's and men's bags and small leather goods.^[72] Each product is handcrafted using the raw materials available.^[73] This explains why it takes so long to obtain the most sought-after confections such as Kelly or Birkin bags, while Hermès is often wrongly accused of organizing shortages.^[73] There is also a department called Hermès Horizons, in which craftsmen make unique objects to order, sometimes far from its usual productions, such as boxing gloves or a wooden canoe.^[74]

A famous Hermès handbag, the "Birkin bag", was named after British actress Jane Birkin. In a chance encounter with Jean-Louis Dumas, she complained that her bag was not practical for everyday use. Consequently, he invited her to France where they co-designed the bag in 1984. Birkin later stopped carrying her namesake bag due to her tendonitis, as the bag became too large and heavy for her to carry.^[75] According to Vogue: "Jane Birkin 'is satisfied by the measures taken by Hermès', according to the brand, following an investigation by the fashion house [that refuted] claims made by PETA that its famous Birkin bags were being 'constructed from the skins of factory-farmed and cruelly slaughtered crocodiles.' "^[76]

• 
  A Kelly bag
• 
  Exotic leathers of the bags make them highly valuable and noticeable, e.g., ostrich leather
• 
  A Birkin bag

While the Kelly and Birkin are two of the house's most famous bags, Hermès has a wide range of other popular handbags. One, the bolide is a dome shaped carry all that comes in varying sizes with a leather shoulder strap. It is widely recognized as the first handbag that was constructed with a zipper.^[77] The bolide comes in both stiff leathers such as epsom and relaxed leathers such as clemence. Another popular bag from the Hermès house is the evelyne, a comparatively affordable saddle style bag meant to be worn cross body with a traditionally fabric strap. The evelyne is available in 4 different sizes: the TPM (16 cm), PM (29 cm), GM (33 cm)and TGM (40 cm) and is generally made in relaxed leathers like clemence.^[78] The evelyne boasts a perforated "H" motif that is meant to be hidden and worn towards the body, to allow easy access to the top of the bag.

In 2021, the Farm Transparency Project released video footage from three Australian crocodile farms owned by Hermès, which showed the small cages and concrete floors the animals live on and how they are slaughtered, including by stabbing and electrocution.^[79]

Women ready-to-wear department was born at Hermès in the 1920s-1930s, initially with sportswear.^[17] Then, during the 1940s, Hermès gradually turned away from the sportswear focus to ready-to-wear, officially launched in 1967 with Catherine de Károlyi.^[26] Hermès clothing and accessories are now the group's second largest business.^[71] This department includes women and men ready-to-wear as well as fashion accessories. In addition, several renowned fashion designers have headed it, such as Lola Prusac, Martin Margiela, Jean-Paul Gaultier or Christophe Lemaire.^[80] Today, this division is run by Nadège Vanhée and men ready-to-wear by Véronique Nichanian.^[80][5]

Silk and textiles represent, in 2023, the Hermès group's fourth activity.^[71] This activity is headed by Holding Textile Hermès (HTH), located in Pierre-Bénite, a town in the metropolis of Lyon.^[81] It is structured in half a dozen subsidiaries and employs around 800 people.^[81] The first carré de soie [fr], called "Jeu des omnibus et dames blanches" and illustrating the Parisian Madeleine-Bastille public carriage line, was created in 1937.^[72][9] Hermès oversaw the production of its scarves throughout the entire process, purchasing raw silk, spinning it into yarn, and weaving it into fabric twice as strong and heavy as most scarves available at the time.^[9] A variety of ranges followed: squares, ties, scarves and shawls.^[72] Since the 1980s, Hermès has controlled the entire silk and textile production chain.^[82] In 2020, a technical innovation, kept secret by Hermès, makes it possible to print squares with different designs and colors on the front and back of the carré, double-sided.^[83]

The company's scarf designers spend years creating new print patterns that are individually screen-printed.^[9] Designers can choose from over 70,000 different colors.^[84] When production first began, a dedicated factory was established in Lyon, France, the same year that Hermès celebrated its 100th anniversary. Contemporary Hermès carrés measure 90 cm × 90 cm (35 in × 35 in), weigh 79 grams (2.8 oz), and are woven from the silk of 300 mulberry moth cocoons.^[84] All hems are hand-stitched and motifs are wide-ranging. Two collections per year are released, along with some reprints of older designs and limited editions, and two collections per year are introduced in a Cashmere/silk blend. Since 1937, Hermès has produced over 3,000 unique designs; the horse motif is particularly famous and popular.^[84] The ubiquitous "Brides de Gala" version, introduced in 1957, has been produced more than 70,000 times. An Hermès scarf is sold somewhere in the world every 25 seconds; by the late 1970s, more than 1.1 million scarves had been sold worldwide.^[11]

Between 1926 and 1978, Hermès marketed timepieces through partnerships with Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe and Rolex.^[85] It then contributed its creative skills and leather working know-how.^[85] It was under the impetus of Jean-Louis Dumas, in 1978, that the company really launched into watchmaking with the installation of a workshop in Bienne, in Switzerland.^[85] At that time, watches were almost exclusively for men, so he decided to appeal to women too, with a breakthrough design in the Arceau line, presented the same year.^[85] This line was followed by Cape Cod in 1991 with a double-turn bracelet.^[86] More recently, the men Hermès H08 line was launched in 2021.^[87]

From the 2000s onwards, Hermès acquired stakes in several watchmaking companies, as in 2006 with a 25% stake in Vaucher manufacture for 25 million Swiss francs, already a supplier of movements for the Hermès house, with an investment of around sixteen million euros.^[88] It then acquired Natéber, a dial manufacturer, in 2012, and Joseph Erard, a watch case specialist, the following year.^[89][90][91] The first watches with in-house movements were released in 2012.^[85] In 2018, the company made its debut at the Watches and Wonders trade show.^[27]

Since the 1930s, Hermès has been designing perfumes on a confidential basis, via special orders tailor-made for some of its customers.^[92] Perfume truly appeared at Hermès with the creation of the Comptoir Nouveau de la Parfumerie.^[23] In 1951 the first Hermès fragrance, Eau d'Hermès, created by Edmond Roudnitska, was sold in France.^[92]. The first women fragrances, Doblis and Calèche, were launched in 1955 and 1961 respectively.^[23]

Hermès is one of the few luxury houses in France not to outsource the production of its fragrances and to have its own nez, like Jean-Claude Ellena, Hermès' exclusive perfumer from 2004 to 2016.^[72] He is the creator of several best-sellers such as Un jardin en Méditerranée, Terre d'Hermès and Hermessences.^[72] Hermès produces all its perfumes in its own workshops at Le Vaudreuil, in Normandy, which explains the small share of this division in the group's total sales.^[73] Christine Nagel joined the group in 2014 and, following his departure in 2016, succeeded him as olfactory designer.^[93][94][95]

In 2020, the group launched its sixteenth business, beauty, with a lipstick collection named Rouge Hermès and inspired by its carrés.^[96] Followed the brushes and nail polishes in 2021, then in 2022 the first complexion products.^[92] In 2023, Hermès launched Regard, a new collection dedicated to the eyes.^[97]

Among the group's other divisions is Maison d'Hermès (Hermès Home), which consists of the table services, household linens, outdoor textiles, decorations, furniture and carpets lines.^[98] The first Hermès objects for the home were created in the 1920s. A table setting department was created in 1984.^{[citation needed]}

Hermès also has a jewelry division, which has its origins in the equestrian bucklery. This craft appeared in 1927 with the first silver and leather bracelet, Filet de selle.^{[citation needed]} In 1938, the Chaîne d'ancre bracelet, emblematic of the house, was created by Robert Dumas.^[99] Hermès jewellery is thought around the themes of equitation or water sports.^[99] For years, Hermès has partnered with Tuareg tribesmen for silver jewelry. The Saharan nomads' traditional motifs were often mirrored in various Hermès products, including scarves.^[100]

Hermès International's profitability is the result of a long-term strategy aimed at enhancing the know-how and creativity of its craftsmen, while maintaining a high degree of innovation.^[14] Their strong brand identity and independence as a family business also contribute.^[14] This strategy is illustrated by the statement made by Jean-Louis Dumas in 2007: We don't have a policy of image; we have a policy of product.^[4] Hermès considers that its best advertising is the quality of its products, which is why it has neither muses nor a marketing department.^[101]

At Hermès, the craftsman must master every stage of production and is the first guarantor of the object's quality.^[14] That is why it can take up to six years for a Hermès craftsman to master the most demanding operations.^[27] Particular attention is paid to the choice of raw material: the company has a special department dedicated to the purchase, tanning and dyeing of quality skins.^[102] It has also invested in crocodile farms in Australia.^[103] It takes an average of two years to train a craftsman on leather and six years on precious skins.^[102] Many take up their trade by vocation, but many of the House's craftsmen have embraced this career following a professional reconversion, which Hermès encourages.^[104] To this end, the company works in collaboration with local France Travail branches.^[105]

The Group's aim is to maintain a high level of quality, even if this is sometimes to the detriment of sales growth.^[106] The aim is also to rebalance the weight of the various divisions, with leather still accounting for 47% of sales in 2012.^[106]

The Hermès Foundation was launched in 2008. It is chaired by Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the artistic director of Hermès, and directed by Catherine Tsekenis.^[107][108] The Foundation's mission is to sponsor and support creation and craftsmanship activities.^[109]

In 2010, it launched the biannual Emile Hermès Prize that rewards an innovative project in the field of design. In 2014, the three winners who shared the first prize, chaired by Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, were Johan Brunel and Samuel Misslen for their "Ventilated Capsule," Antoine Lesur and Marc Venot for "Hut," and Paul Tubiana for "Leon."^[110] In 2012, the Foundation participated in the "New Settings" show for the promotion of the arts.^[111] In 2013, the Foundation supported the exhibition of works by young artists shown at the Palais de Tokyo.^[112] In January 2014, it has pledged a three-year support of the Cité internationale of Aubusson tapestry.^[113]

The Foundation operates several contemporary art spaces,^[114] including La Verrière in Brussels, Belgium,^[115][116] Le Forum in Tokyo, Japan,^[117] and Atelier Hermès in Seoul, South Korea.^[118]

Hermès International is listed on Euronext Paris and is a component of the CAC 40 :

Hermes International is controlled, through Emile Hermès SAS, by the Hermès family group, which also holds, notably through H51 SAS, a majority stake in the company's share capital as an active partner.^[42][43] The Hermès family fortune is estimated in 2024 at 155 billion euros by the magazine Challenges.^[119]

dated March 12, 2025^[71] :

• Official website
• Official Foundation Enterprise Hermès website