Hermès
The history of the French fashion house Hermès began in 1837, with the opening by Thierry Hermès of a workshop on rue Baz de Rempart (the street no longer exists) in Paris, producing horse tack and carriage equipment exclusively for the aristocracy. For its high-quality and aesthetically pleasing products, Hermès twice received medals and awards at the World Exhibition in Paris, in 1855 and 1867. From 1859 onward, the workshop was managed by Hermès’s son, Charles-Émile, who, in 1880, two years after his father’s death, moved it to 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where the brand’s flagship store now stands. Following Charles-Émile, in 1902, Hermès was led by his sons, Adolphe and Émile-Maurice, who renamed the company “Hermès Frères.” In 1918, the brand introduced a zippered golf jacket, designed specifically for Prince Edward of England. Hermès was the first to use the zipper as a functional bag closure. In 1919, Adolphe Hermès left the company as horse-drawn transport was beginning to be replaced by automobiles, and his brother, recognizing the enduring demand for luxury goods, purchased his share. In the 1920s, Émile-Maurice expanded the business and began producing leather goods, clothing, and accessories. In 1922, the first collection of leather bags appeared, and in 1929, under the direction of designer Lola Prusac, the first women’s couture collection was presented. The 1930s saw the creation of the brand’s most recognizable products, including the legendary leather Sac à Depèches (everyday bag) (1935), renamed the Kelly in 1955 in honor of Grace Kelly, the tenth Princess of Monaco, and the famous hand-embroidered silk scarves (1937), which had a significant influence on clothing culture in France and England. Kelly bags (as well as the Birkin bag, created in 1984 in collaboration with actress Jane Birkin) have a waiting list, which includes the names of show business stars as well as wealthy individuals. Prices for these bags start at $9,000. In 1949, Hermès began selling ties. The brand’s modern logo (a harnessed carriage) appeared only in the early 1950s (according to other sources, in 1945). It was created by artist Alfred de Droz. At the same time, the brand’s colors became orange and chocolate, which were reflected on the product packaging and remain to this day. https://aromo.ru/brands/hermes/
A new era for Hermès began in 1951, following the death of Émile-Maurice, when his son-in-law, René Dumas-Hermès, took over the company. Dumas became the first company director not of the Hermès family name, but the husband of Jacqueline Hermès. Most sources claim that the brand’s first fragrance, Eau d’Hermès, designed for both men and women and developed by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska, was launched in 1951, but the French Wikipedia lists 1947. Roudnitska was tasked with conveying the brand’s DNA and described the composition as the scent of a perfume lingering in the folds of a leather bag. Four years later, in 1955, perfumer Guy Robert created Doblis—a dry, leathery chypre with chamomile, jasmine, and oakmoss. It was discontinued before 1960, but was released in a limited edition of 1,000 bottles in 2004. In 1961, Calèche (perfumer: Guy Robert) was released—an elegant, woody-suede fragrance for women, which later spawned an entire collection, as well as a subcollection, Kelly Calèche, which appeared only in 2007. In 1970, Equipage—the first men’s fragrance, also created by Guy Robert—was introduced—a complex, spicy-woody chypre with a honey-vanilla base. Its modern reissue is still available for purchase in 2018, as is the only flanker, Equipage Geranium, by Jean-Claude Ellena. That same decade, in 1978, Robert Dumas’ son, Jean-Louis, took over the company and also acquired the John Lobb shoe business and Jean-Paul Gaultier’s couture line.
