The name HERMES, which belongs to one of the most famous fashion houses, is associated with fans with the legendary scarfs, Birkin Bags, buckles with the letter H and, of course, with orange boxes with brown silk ribbons on which the famous aristocratic sparkly logo is adorned. These things must be present in the wardrobe of everyone who considers himself among the true connoisseurs of fashion.
Today, HERMES produces leather goods, ready-to-wear clothing, perfumes and jewelry, which are always successful. HERMES International owns an entire empire of retail stores, spreading its ownership in 35 countries. Its revenues exceed $ 1.5 billion. Sale signs never appear in the windows of HERMES boutiques, they do not give out discount cards or sell licenses for the release of goods under their own brand in Southeast Asia. The business of the legendary House to this day remains a family business, whose success experts consider as one of the most successful examples of family business. How, then, has a luxury company for more than 170 years been able to maintain its traditions and commitment to family values?
KINGDOM FOR A HORSE! SECOND HALF - FOR STRENGTH ...
When Thierry Hermes, a saddler who immigrated from Germany, opened his Paris workshop in Madeleine's busy but not too sophisticated quarter, he probably dreamed of success. And I must say that he did a lot to achieve it - the workshop opened in 1837, and thirty years later, his bridle fitting machine won the 1st class medal at the World Exhibition. Forme a Collier d'HERMES made those thousands of small movements that until centuries had been the secret of the saddlery masters who drove bridles for horses. The harness for a secular - and just requiring respect from society - man of the nineteenth century was an important thing. Firstly, he must be sure of its impeccable quality, because crippling in a carriage, which burst, say, lint or cinch, was easier than a lung. Secondly, the harness was a subject that could tell a lot about its owner - and when the Count of Monte Cristo hung emerald earrings the size of a pigeon egg on his horses, he adorned the harness.
The events described by Dumas the father took place in 1838. Where the manager of the false count ordered the equipment for the horses of his vengeful gentleman is not known for certain, but he could have done it in the company in question. At that time, the Thierry Hermes saddlery had existed in Paris for a whole year. Religious Hermes were Protestants and worked with qualities characteristic of Protestants: slowly, but with guaranteed successful results. Their products were durable and elegant. The Hermes always kept only the best craftsmen and never saved on the quality of the raw materials.
Characteristic was the bet only on their own, or rather, on family members: the deceased in 1878, Thierry was inherited by his son Charles-Emil and grandchildren Adolf and Emil-Maurice. The latter ran an already renowned company headquartered in Paris, Faubourg-Saint-Honor, the best manufacturer of saddlery in all of France, who also made shoes and clothes for riding, polo and golf. But it was with Emil-Maurice Ermes (1870 - 1951) that HERMES began, for the right to possess the products of which fashionistas are now ready not only to pay huge sums of money, but also to obediently stand in line.
Emil-Maurice with his brother Adolf, in 1902 took control of the House. Things went well. HERMES clients included the reigning houses of Russia, Romania, Spain, Japan, the President of the French Republic, famous politicians and prosperous business people. During World War I, the House became a supplier of French cavalry.
Emil-Maurice was the youngest, most charming and adventurous of the sons of Charles-Emile. In addition, he was a passionate traveler - entertainment for the beginning of the twentieth century is quite respectable. But young Hermes was not just having fun. His visits to different corners of the globe were, so to speak, an informal business character. Today it would be called "international marketing", and at that time he was looking for new markets and at the same time - new sources of high-quality raw materials. So he realized that if crocodile skin is best harvested in Australia, then alligator skin with slightly different qualities is exclusively in Florida. Buffs from West Bengal have the best quality, sharks from Siam, and lizard skins from Malaysia; the most reliable mechanisms for the leather industry are doing in Canada.
It was there, in Canada, purchasing equipment in 1918, Emil-Maurice drew attention to the outlandish novelty - a zipper. As a practical person, he immediately realized that nothing could be more convenient for articulating two pieces of skin. True, in the horse harness there was somehow no place for lightning. But this just worried Hermes least of all, because the manufacturer was clear as day: the saddlery would cease to bring substantial income literally from day to day. The era of automobiles was approaching, and luxurious saddles could now be needed only as an exotic. (By the way, during one of his voyages, he managed to charm Emperor Nicholas II, who considered the works of HERMES masters worthy of giving the House the title of "Supplier of His Imperial Majesty", and Emil-Maurice Ermes concluded the last major contract for harnessing with Ministry of the court of the Russian Empire). But the new clasp was perfect, firstly, for golf clothes (and the HERMES zipped jacket that year was a sensation among fans of this sport), and secondly, for suitcases. Hermes had previously produced a variety of luggage, but travel bags with zippers were an absolute curiosity. Later he bought the rights from the Swedish inventor of the zipper, and in the minds of the French, the zipper became so clearly associated with HERMES products that they simply began to call this innovation “la fermeture HERMES” (Ermes fastener).
And in 1922, the spouse of Emil-Maurice also contributed to the development of the family brand. According to legend, she complained to her husband: they say, it’s absolutely impossible to pick up a decent handbag in this Paris. The gallant husband, of course, ordered to do something completely exclusive for his beloved half, namely a handbag with a zipper sewn by a special, so-called saddle seam, which provided both strength and a unique appearance. So the wife of Ermes was forever spared the need to go to haberdashery shops, and the HERMES company expanded its product line with another product, moreover, one that would glorify it already in the very near future.
PRESENT PRINCESSES AND SILK SQUARE
In 1928, another and perhaps the most important breakthrough occurred in the life of the company. This year was marked by the centenary of the move of the Ermes family from Germany to France. But the century-old date would have gone unnoticed, if not one but ... In 1928, HERMES made its first silk scarf.
A completely new product was launched for a long time - the production of the famous "quads" entered the stream only by the anniversary of 1937, when the centenary of the formation of the HERMES House was already marked. Although, the word "stream" is not particularly suitable for our history (this applies not only to scarves, but to any other thing with the HERMES logo). The classic silk "square" is a quadrangle measuring 90 by 90 centimeters from 65 grams of the best silk obtained from 250 cocoons, with a unique, invariably hand-printed pattern. In the drawings - running and racing, zodiac signs and images of Matisse, ornaments in the form of keys and wild animals. The HERMES handkerchief became the most democratic way to join the luxury brand (the average price of a “square” today is about three hundred euros) and they quickly stopped neglecting this opportunity. A factory located in Lyon can make 40,000 shawls a week (in practice, production is slightly less), two collections are released every year. In just seventy years, HERMES has come up with nearly 25,000 original models.
The silk scarf not only turned the stiff brand to the upper class; people willingly began to take pictures in it, to imagine which in the form of paid models not even a very inflamed imagination would risk. In the early fifties, Queen Elizabeth II was noted in the HERMES shawl. And not on the secular chronicle strip, but on the UK postage stamp. Since then, who just did not serve HERMES as a walking advertisement (most often free): Catherine Deneuve and Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly. HERMES, however, had a very special relationship with the last two ladies, but to talk about them, let's go back a little to the first accessory that made the company from Faubourg-Saint-Honoré famous - to a handbag.
HERMES invariably presents its client as the embodiment of "discreet luxury." The item may be orange or purple, but it should be a luxurious orange and aristocratic purple. In the fifties and sixties, two perfect symbols of such luxury turned out to be two American women who became their own in European high society: Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Bouvier-Kennedy Onassis. In 1956, Grace got on the cover of Life magazine, as yesterday the movie star had just become a crowned person, having married Rene III, Prince of Monaco. The neck of the newly-made princess was decorated with a HERMES handkerchief, while the former actress was clutching a handbag in her hands, which all the fashionable women of the world immediately wanted. It was a Kelly Bag, the first “HERMES” name bag. It was not easy to get her a simple (albeit rich) mortal, because with her bag at HERMES I came up with a brilliant marketing ploy: you couldn’t just go to the store and buy the coveted little thing. “It takes one and a half to two months to make our bag,” these words make it important for people from HERMES to lift their finger and send the client to the end of the line, which can last from a couple of weeks to a year. Instead of the not yet completely forgotten military “tails”, the Europeans had to sweat in a more pleasant, but also exciting wait. Needless to say, the popularity of Kelly from this move has become completely indecent?
A few years later, HERMES repeated the move with a personalized bag, though in a slightly different way. The face of the Constance bag was Jacqueline Kennedy - and although it didn’t directly name the product by the name of the former first lady, the name Constance also didn’t take root - the bag was called O-bag, by the new name Jacqueline - Onassis. (The bag, by the way, was wonderful, probably the best in the history of HERMES - with a convenient double handle and a fastener in the form of a capital N.)
And when the real princesses ended, the time came for on-screen princesses, and Jane Birkin, the most beautiful girl of the sixties, who did not lose her “Hermes” charm and a dozen and a half years later, became the HERMES symbol. 1984 Birkin Bag is the most popular HERMES handbag. And the most expensive - her version of crocodile skin costs 25,000 euros. Moreover, to become its owner, you have to wait from a year to three. What will replace her? Maybe Sara Bag (actress Sarah Jessica Parker in “Sex and the City” is ironic about Samantha’s longing for a HERMES bag, and she herself has a decent collection of them in her life)? The question remains the question ...
DUMA-FATHER, DUMA-SON AND OTHERS ... IN THE HISTORY OF HERMES HOUSE
In the late 1920s Emil-Maurice transferred the company HERMES into the hands of his son-in-law Robert Dumas, the husband of one of four daughters. Thus, starting with the fourth generation of HERMES managers, the name of the founder began to be transmitted only through the female line. Each manager brought something new to the company, and Robert Dumas was no exception. He launched a line of legendary silk scarves and ties, as well as a line of perfumes and beach towels.
HERMES began to produce women's clothing back in 1929 - for something you need to adapt a silk scarf. Pret-a-porter, the company turned out to be of high quality and expensive, but rather faceless. In 1978, Jean-Louis Dumas - the fourth of six sons of Robert Dumas, took leadership positions in the company after the death of his father. During his tenure at HERMES House, Dumas Jr. succeeded in transforming a French luxury goods company with a real empire with annual sales in excess of $ 1.5 billion. He was the one who owned the idea of a very flexible and effective business strategy called multilocal. As part of this strategy, HERMES has taken the path of establishing self-governing regional branches in major markets such as the United States and Japan, rather than controlling its branches directly from the central office. Ultimately, this led her to success.
If we talk about the creative side of HERMES, then Jean-Louis Dumas always tried to actualize the creative heritage inherited from the XIX century. Due to this, the theme of riding (saddles, snaffles, spurs, etc.) is always present in the collections of clothing and accessories of the company. In 1998, Belgian Martin Margiela was invited to the role of creative director of HERMES. Young, famous, daring avant-garde .... His head was chock full of radical ideas. Margiela did not start revolutions, but at least fashion magazines started talking about HERMES clothes (before that, as a rule, they asked with awe bags and shawls for filming, but they tried not to write about "Hermes" clothes). The Belgian lasted for five whole years, although cynical critics gave him a maximum of a year, shook HERMES and returned to his avant-garde affairs.
It seemed that after such an experiment, the company would return to the proven method and invite an unknown artisan to replace Margielle, who was speechless from one glance at the famous logo with the cart. It was not there. The HERMES boss selection was astounding: they called Jean-Paul Gaultier to be responsible for the clothes. As radical as Margiela, but unlike the predecessor of the overly pretentious. Nothing terrible, however, happens: Gauthier satisfies his extreme inclinations in collections produced under his own name, and for HERMES acts as the creator responsible for ensuring that goods under the great brand do not cease to intrigue.
In September 2005, after the departure of Jean-Louis Dumas from the post of Executive Director of the HERMES House, active discussions of the fashionable public began. The reason for the concern of the fans was not even the fact of the legendary manager’s departure, but the rumors that for the first time in the history of the brand, a person “not from the family” would be appointed!
There was a share of truth in all of this - indeed, the new manager of HERMES INTERNATIONAL was not a family member, but Patrick Thoma, who had previously held the position of Assistant Executive Director. It was he who debunked all speculation about the possible sale of the company: "Today the family is united as never before - it intends to maintain control over the brand." The new leader promised fans that the House will undergo a few minor changes, but the strategy pursued by Jean-Louis Dumas will remain unchanged. Patrick Thoma also said: "Despite my appointment as leader, the Ermes-Dumas family will be able to resume their leadership later. Perhaps we are in some ways moving away from family control, but I can foresee how things will return to normal. Of course, this will not happen tomorrow morning, but I can imagine a situation when a family member comes to the Board of Directors to become co-director with me. " Focusing on continuity, Toma added that being a follower of Dumas is not so easy: "Trying on the shoes of a giant, you feel very small ..."
Jean-Louis Dumas himself expressed his confidence in the success of the new team with a very metaphorical statement: "From the roots of HERMES they will learn how to get life energy for new branches that will grow in response to the dreams of our customers" ...
Such is the story.
