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Luxury Hermès: Tradition and Innovation — The Hermès story has always been one of innovation,
contemporaries. The Carré is one of the house’s most
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yet it is tradition and confidence in their products that
popular lines today, boasting over two thousand designs.
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has kept the house successful over its 184 year history.
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The Hermès horse and carriage logo is testament to this; created by Robert Dumas-Hermès in the 1920s, it still
ABOVE: A Birkin 35 by Hermès.
stands proud and is ‘to-the-minute’ as a symbol of quality
During the 1970s, Hermès went through a decline. This was partly due to their insistence of maintaining the costly high standard of their products, while other houses
Sold for $16,250
and prestige.
franchised or looked at cheaper means of production.
BELOW: Grace Kelly holding her
Many Hermès products have similar histories. In the early
of their luxury goods paid off. Under the directorship of
1900s, one of the first leather bags made by the firm was
Jean-Louis Dumas, the focus of the business was changed
the Haut à Courroies, specially designed for riders to
from an elderly person’s nostalgia to a young person’s
carry their saddles, and I might add, giving them style
dream. Few new products were created at this time and
and clout as they did so. The Haut à Courroies is still in
instead, traditional lines were reinvented to suit the times;
production today. The ultimate chic ‘man-bag’, it was
this is what Hermès does best. Hermès has also always
famously revamped to a smaller size in 1984 as the Birkin
been clever in limiting the supply of their popular lines
bag - possibly the most coveted bag in the world.
and increasing the demand, where other luxury houses
now iconic Hermès bag, with Prince Rainier III in Philadelphia, PA, 1956. Photo: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy
Another bag with a similar history is the Sac à Dépêches, created in 1935. It too had many makeovers and in the 1950s was redesigned and renamed ‘The Kelly’, for American actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly.
increase production, flooding the market with their goods. In the following decades, company owned stores were increased worldwide making it one of the world’s most valuable luxury brands.
Famously pictured on the front of Life Magazine, Kelly
For its 2014 Spring / Summer advertising campaign
popularised the bag and made it an icon. Little did the
Hermès used the slogan, ‘Everything Changes, Nothing
princess know at the time that she was creating a costly
Changes’. From its foundation in 1837, Hermès’s core
status symbol.
values were craftsmanship and quality materials. In a
The famous Hermès silk Carré were introduced in 1937. Like all products Hermès, production was overseen from start to finish, but the key to the success of the scarves was in the loom. The Chinese yarn is spun and woven into fabric twice as strong and heavier than most of its
22 | leonardjoel.com.au
Their defiance to respect their traditions and the quality
world of constant change, it is refreshing that the company remains true to these values today. JOHN D'AGATA / Head of Luxury
