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Hermès International

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Independent, family-controlled French luxury house known for leather goods, saddlery, silk, fashion, fragrances, watches, jewelry and lifestyle objects.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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Overview

Hermès is a French luxury house founded in Paris in 1837 by Thierry Hermès as a maker of saddles and harnesses. Its origins in equestrian craftsmanship remain central to the brand's identity, even though leather goods now represent its best-known business. Over nearly two centuries, Hermès expanded into travel bags, handbags, silk, ready-to-wear, shoes, watches, jewelry, homeware, fragrances and beauty while retaining a strong emphasis on materials, manual skill and controlled distribution. The house developed its modern character during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Thierry Hermès's successors moved the business to 24 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, its historic Paris headquarters, and adapted saddlery techniques to luggage and other leather products. Émile-Maurice Hermès introduced zipper technology to French leather goods and clothing after encountering it during a trip to the United States. The company subsequently produced travel accessories, sports equipment and fashion items alongside traditional equestrian products. Several products became enduring symbols of the house. The Sac à dépêches, introduced in the 1930s, was later associated with Princess Grace of Monaco and became known as the Kelly bag. Hermès launched its square silk scarf, or carré, in 1937, creating a category that became one of the brand's most recognizable signatures. The Birkin bag was developed in the 1980s after a conversation between executive Jean-Louis Dumas and singer and actor Jane Birkin. These products helped establish the house's reputation for craftsmanship, distinctive design and scarcity. Leadership under Jean-Louis Dumas from 1978 strengthened the company's international position. Dumas broadened the product range, modernized ready-to-wear, increased direct ownership of boutiques, invested in production capacity and made selective acquisitions, including John Lobb Bootmaker, Saint-Louis and Puiforcat. Hermès also entered a limited partnership structure and became publicly listed while the founding family retained substantial control. The strategy favored long-term brand protection over rapid volume expansion. Hermès remained family-controlled despite a major corporate dispute with LVMH after LVMH accumulated a significant stake in 2010. The family created H51 to consolidate the holdings of many descendants and protect the company's independence. An agreement reached in 2014 ended the confrontation, and LVMH distributed most of its Hermès shares to its own shareholders. The Hermès family has continued to exercise effective control. The house is distinguished by vertically integrated production, extensive investment in French workshops and a distribution model centered on company-operated boutiques. Many leather products require substantial handwork and training, limiting short-term supply. Hermès has nevertheless continued to open workshops, develop new manufacturing sites and expand internationally. Its business now spans leather goods and saddlery, silk and textiles, ready-to-wear and accessories, perfumes and beauty, watches, jewelry and home products. The company reported 2024 sales of €15.2 billion and net income of €4.6 billion, according to the cited reference material. Hermès remains positioned at the highest end of the luxury market, combining heritage, craftsmanship, controlled availability and family governance.

History

Thierry Hermès established the original workshop in Paris in 1837, making harnesses and other equipment for the carriage trade. The company’s early identity was therefore rooted in equestrian craftsmanship, an association that remains visible in its saddlery and leather traditions. As transport, travel, and consumer habits changed, Hermès extended its expertise into bags, luggage, belts, gloves, and other leather accessories. During the twentieth century, the house broadened its scope beyond leather. Silk became a major creative and commercial field, particularly through printed scarves, while clothing, jewelry, watches, perfumes, and home products gradually joined the portfolio. The company’s strategy was not to abandon its original métier but to apply its standards of materials, construction, and finishing to new categories. The Kelly bag became associated with Grace Kelly, and the Birkin bag later became one of the most recognizable luxury handbags in the world. Hermès developed a distinctive governance model as it grew. In 1989 it became a société en commandite par actions, a limited partnership structure that separated management responsibility from shareholder rights and helped preserve family influence. The company subsequently conducted a public share offering and was listed on the Paris stock exchange in 1993. Public ownership provided market access and liquidity while the family retained a central role in strategic control. Jean-Louis Dumas led the company during an important period of internationalization and category development. Hermès expanded its retail presence in Europe, Japan, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, while continuing to rely heavily on directly operated stores. The business also invested in production and artisan training, particularly in France, rather than pursuing growth primarily through licensing or broad wholesale distribution. A major corporate confrontation began in 2010, when LVMH disclosed that it had built a substantial position in Hermès. Hermès family shareholders and management viewed the move as a potential threat to the house’s independence. Hermès responded by emphasizing its partnership structure and family coordination. The dispute concluded in 2014 when LVMH agreed to distribute its Hermès shares to its own shareholders and cease its position, allowing Hermès to remain independently controlled. Under Axel Dumas, appointed executive chairman in 2013, Hermès has continued a measured international expansion strategy. The company has invested in new workshops, retail locations, digital commerce, and product development while presenting scarcity, quality, and craftsmanship as safeguards against overexposure. Its contemporary identity combines a nineteenth-century equestrian origin with fashion, design, beauty, and lifestyle activities. The central historical continuity is the treatment of luxury as an industrial and artisanal discipline: the house seeks growth, but not at the cost of control over product standards, distribution, or family-influenced independence.

  • 2025

    Twenty-fourth French leather goods workshop opens

    [2]

    The L’Isle-d’Espagnac manufacture expands the group’s French production and training capacity.

  • 2021

    École Hermès des Savoir-Faire is created

    [2]

    Hermès opens a craft-training school connected with the expansion of its French leather goods workshops.

  • 2020

    Beauty becomes a Hermès métier

    [2]

    The house launches Rouge Hermès and establishes beauty as a new area of activity.

  • 2018

    Hermès enters the CAC 40

    [2]

    Hermès International joins France’s benchmark stock index.

  • 2015

    Apple Watch Hermès partnership begins

    [2]

    Hermès enters a technology and design collaboration with Apple.

  • 2014

    LVMH exits Hermès after settlement

    [7]

    A settlement ends the shareholding dispute and leads to the distribution of LVMH’s Hermès shares to LVMH shareholders.

  • 2013

    Axel Dumas becomes Executive Chairman

    [2]

    Axel Dumas succeeds Patrick Thomas and begins the current phase of family-led management.

  • 2010

    Creation of petit h

    [2]

    The workshop transforms unused production materials into unique objects through collaborations between artisans and designers.

  • 2008

    Fondation d’entreprise Hermès is created

    [2]

    The foundation begins supporting artistic creation, craft transmission, environmental preservation and solidarity.

  • 2005

    Pierre-Alexis Dumas becomes artistic director

    [2]

    A sixth-generation family member assumes artistic leadership and broadens creative development across the métiers.

Products and positioning

Independent, family-controlled French luxury house centered on craftsmanship, durable materials, creative freedom, controlled distribution, heritage and understated exclusivity.

  • Leather goods

    Leather goods and handbags

    Leather goods are Hermès’s most important and emblematic métier. The category includes Birkin, Kelly, Constance, Bolide and other handbags, as well as wallets, belts, small leather goods and travel pieces. Products are associated with hand craftsmanship, carefully selected materials, distinctive hardware and controlled distribution. Hermès continues to expand French leather workshops and trains artisans through dedicated apprenticeship programs.

  • Equestrian goods · 1837

    Saddlery and equestrian equipment

    Saddlery is the house’s original activity and remains central to its identity. Hermès produces saddles, bridles, harnesses, riding accessories and related equestrian products. The business preserves the technical knowledge from which the company emerged in 1837 while continuing to develop products for contemporary riders and horses.

  • Textiles and accessories · 1937

    Silk scarves and textiles

    Hermès silk scarves, especially the carré, combine silk twill, elaborate illustration, color and printing expertise. Since 1937, the house has produced designs that draw on equestrian imagery, travel, art, architecture, mythology and contemporary culture. Silk accessories also include twillies, ties, shawls and other textile products.

  • Fashion · 1925

    Ready-to-wear

    Hermès offers women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections built around fine materials, restrained silhouettes, leather expertise and functional luxury. The category grew from early pieces such as the 1925 golf jacket and later developed into a complete wardrobe with seasonal collections, outerwear, knitwear, dresses, tailoring and accessories.

  • Footwear · 1928

    Shoes and sandals

    The footwear business includes sandals, loafers, boots, sneakers and other styles that use Hermès leather, hardware and design codes. The Oran sandal is among the house’s most recognizable footwear offerings. Hermès has developed footwear both through internal design and through specialist expertise associated with makers such as John Lobb.

  • Beauty · 1951

    Perfumes and beauty

    Hermès fragrance includes long-running creations such as Eau d’Hermès, Calèche and Terre d’Hermès, as well as newer lines including H24. Beauty became a formal métier with the 2020 launch of Rouge Hermès lipstick. The category extends the house’s material, color and storytelling approach into fragrance, makeup and personal care.

  • Watchmaking · 1978

    Watches

    Hermès watchmaking developed as a distinct activity from the late 1970s. Its collections include Cape Cod, Arceau, H08 and R.M.S. watches, combining Swiss watchmaking with the house’s leather, equestrian and graphic vocabulary. Straps and case details are important expressions of Hermès’s broader craft identity.

  • Jewelry · 1927

    Jewelry

    Hermès jewelry ranges from everyday silver and gold pieces to high jewelry. Recurring codes include the Chaîne d’ancre, equestrian hardware, the H motif and forms inspired by movement and architecture. The first jewelry creation dates to 1927, while the house introduced a dedicated high-jewelry collection in 2010.

  • Home furnishings · 2011

    Home and lifestyle

    The home métier includes furniture, tableware, blankets, cushions, wallpapers, fabrics, lighting, decorative objects and other lifestyle pieces. Hermès applies its leather, silk, printing, porcelain, crystal and design expertise to domestic settings, often working with specialist manufacturers and designers.

  • Technology collaboration · 2015

    Apple Watch Hermès

    Apple Watch Hermès is a collaboration combining Apple’s smartwatch platform with Hermès-designed straps, cases, watch faces and packaging. It represents the house’s willingness to enter contemporary technology when the partnership can preserve its design language and craftsmanship standards.

  • Objects and sustainability · 2010

    petit h

    petit h is an experimental Hermès activity based on creation in reverse. Designers and artisans begin with unused or surplus materials from Hermès workshops and transform them into one-of-a-kind objects. The activity connects material reuse with artistic experimentation and provides a distinctive outlet for the house’s craftsmanship.

Controversies

  • 2026

    Hermès files trademark lawsuit over MetaBirkins NFTs

    Hermès International filed a trademark lawsuit against digital creator Mason Rothschild and his MetaBirkins project, alleging that the project sought to profit from Hermès trademarks. Rothschild disputed the claims. The dispute concerns the MetaBirkins non-fungible token project and its use of Hermès trademarks.

    Source

  • 2015

    Jane Birkin crocodile-skin controversy

    Jane Birkin asked Hermès to remove her name from crocodile versions of the Birkin bag after animal-welfare concerns were raised about crocodile treatment. Hermès said it investigated the relevant farm and took measures concerning the practices involved. The episode generated wider criticism of exotic skins and luxury fashion’s animal-welfare standards.

    Source

  • 2010

    LVMH shareholding and corporate-control dispute

    LVMH disclosed a substantial economic position in Hermès after building exposure through equity derivatives and share purchases. The move triggered a public conflict over disclosure, corporate control and the independence of Hermès. Regulatory proceedings and negotiations followed, and Hermès family shareholders consolidated their position through H51 and related structures. A 2014 settlement led LVMH to distribute its Hermès shares to its own shareholders and exit the investment.

    Source

Read more

Marketing campaigns

  • 2021École Hermès des Savoir-Faire

    France

    Hermès created an apprenticeship and vocational training program for leatherwork as part of its French manufacturing expansion.

    Outcome. The program strengthened the pipeline of trained leather artisans and formalized transmission of production skills.

    Source
  • 2020Rouge Hermès

    Global

    Hermès launched its first major beauty collection, Rouge Hermès, after a multiyear design and development process.

    Outcome. Beauty became the house’s sixteenth métier and expanded Hermès’s presence in color cosmetics.

    Source
  • 2015Apple Watch Hermès

    Global

    Hermès collaborated with Apple to create a luxury smartwatch edition featuring Hermès straps, interface designs and packaging.

    Outcome. The partnership extended Hermès into wearable technology while preserving a premium, design-led positioning.

    Source
  • 2010petit h creation in reverse

    Global

    The petit h workshop turned unused materials from Hermès manufacturing into unique objects designed by artists and made by artisans.

    Outcome. The initiative established a distinctive reuse-oriented creative program within the group.

    Source
  • 2008Fondation d’entreprise Hermès

    France · International

    Hermès established a corporate foundation supporting artistic creation, craft training, transmission of savoir-faire, environmental preservation and solidarity.

    Outcome. The foundation became a permanent platform for cultural and social initiatives connected to the house’s humanist and craft-based positioning.

    Source
  • 1987150th anniversary and annual creative themes

    Global

    Hermès marked its 150th anniversary with a major fireworks display over Paris’s Pont-Neuf. The celebration initiated a tradition of annual creative themes that gives the house a shared conceptual framework across products, communications and events.

    Outcome. The annual-theme tradition became a long-running part of Hermès’s cultural and creative communication.

    Source

Brand decisions

  • 2026

    Approve the 2025 ordinary dividendOther

    Background

    Following the strong 2025 financial year, shareholders considered the proposed distribution for the year ended December 31, 2025.

    Action taken

    The General Meeting approved an ordinary dividend of €18.00 per share on April 17, 2026.

    Aftermath

    The approved distribution reflected Hermès’s continuing profitability and listed-company obligations while leaving the family-controlled operating model intact.

    Ordinary dividend per share. €18.00 (Financial year 2025, approved April 17, 2026)

    Source

  • 2025

    Open the twenty-fourth French leather goods workshopStrategy

    Background

    Hermès continued to expand production capacity in response to demand for leather goods and saddlery while maintaining a predominantly French manufacturing model.

    Action taken

    The group opened the L’Isle-d’Espagnac manufacture, designed eventually to accommodate 260 trained artisans.

    Aftermath

    The investment reinforced Hermès’s strategy of controlled capacity growth, local production and long-term craft transmission.

    Planned artisan capacity. 260 artisans (2025 announcement; eventual capacity)

    Source

  • 2021

    Expand French leather-goods production and trainingStrategy

    Background

    Demand for Hermès leather goods required additional capacity, but the house sought to grow without abandoning French production or craft standards.

    Action taken

    Hermès opened a leather goods workshop in Guyenne and created the École Hermès des Savoir-Faire apprenticeship school.

    Aftermath

    The group continued to add French workshops and formal training capacity, including the L’Isle-d’Espagnac site in 2025.

    Source

  • 2020

    Establish beauty as a formal métierProduct launch

    Background

    Hermès had long participated in fragrance but sought to extend its material, color and design expertise into cosmetics.

    Action taken

    The company launched Rouge Hermès after approximately five years of design, research and development.

    Aftermath

    Beauty became a distinct Hermès métier with subsequent expansion into makeup and related products.

    Source

  • 2015

    Launch Apple Watch HermèsProduct launch

    Background

    Hermès sought to participate in digital luxury and wearable technology without building a mass-market electronics platform of its own.

    Action taken

    The house partnered with Apple on a co-branded Apple Watch incorporating Hermès straps and interface design.

    Aftermath

    The collaboration became an enduring example of Hermès using selective partnerships to enter a new category while retaining control over design expression.

    Source

  • 2014

    Settle the LVMH shareholding disputeM&A

    Background

    LVMH’s accumulated position in Hermès had created a major corporate-control conflict and raised questions about the future independence of the family-controlled house.

    Action taken

    Hermès and LVMH accepted a settlement under which LVMH distributed its Hermès shares to its shareholders and ended its position.

    Aftermath

    Hermès remained independent and the family’s collective shareholding became a central pillar of the company’s governance and long-term strategy.

    • LVMH — LVMH accepted the settlement and distributed its Hermès shares to LVMH shareholders.
    Source

  • 2013

    Appoint Axel Dumas as Executive ChairmanStrategy

    Background

    Hermès needed to transition from the leadership of Patrick Thomas while preserving family influence and the house’s independent operating model.

    Action taken

    The company appointed sixth-generation family member Axel Dumas as Executive Chairman.

    Aftermath

    Dumas led continued international expansion, digital development, omnichannel retail and investment in French production and training.

    Source

Recent events

  • Unconfirmed

    Reported

    Hermès files trademark lawsuit over MetaBirkins NFTs[10]

    Hermès filed a trademark lawsuit against digital creator Mason Rothschild and his MetaBirkins project, alleging that the project sought to profit from Hermès trademarks. Rothschild disputed the claims.

  • Unconfirmed

    Reported

    Hermès unveils AirTag travel tag and iPhone 12 cases with Apple[11]

    Hermès unveiled two collaborative accessories with Apple: a travel tag incorporating an AirTag and a MagSafe case for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. The products were to be available exclusively through the Hermès webstore.

  • Unconfirmed

    Apple introduces Hermès version of AirTag[12]

    Apple introduced AirTag at its spring product event and offered a Hermès version with exclusive engraving and leather accessories.

  • Unconfirmed

    Reported

    Hermès announces temporary closure of 42 French factories[13]

    Hermès announced the temporary closure of 42 factories in France until the end of March.

Read more

Sources13 sources

  1. 1Hermès Finance: Group managementfinance.hermes.com
  2. 2Hermès: Six generations of artisanshermes.com
  3. 3Hermès Finance: Key figuresfinance.hermes.com
  4. 4Hermès Finance: Strategyfinance.hermes.com
  5. 5Hermès Finance: Share and dividendfinance.hermes.com
  6. 6Hermès 2023 Universal Registration Documentpresse.hermes.com
  7. 7LVMH and Hermès settlement announcementlvmh.com
  8. 8Hermès statement on Jane Birkinassets-finance.hermes.com
  9. 9Jane Birkin crocodile-skin controversypeta.org.uk
  10. 10Hermès files trademark lawsuit over MetaBirkins NFTsmarketing-interactive.com
  11. 11爱马仕推出与苹果合作的 AirTag 旅行挂牌和 iPhone 12 手机壳highsnobiety.com
  12. 12苹果推出爱马仕版 AirTagchinaz.com
  13. 13Hermès宣布暂时关闭法国境内42家工厂fashion.sina.com.cn

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