Hermès International
Company History
Hermès History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1837 in Paris, France
When was Hermès founded?
Hermès was founded in 1837 in Paris, France by Thierry Hermès, making it 189 years old.
- Founded
- 1837
- Founding place
- Paris, France
- Founders
- Thierry Hermès
- Headquarters today
- Paris, France
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1837–2025)
- Current CEO
- Axel Dumas
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1837 | Founding of the Harness Workshop |
| 1922 | Introduction of the Leather Handbag |
| 1935 | Creation of the Sac dépêches (Kelly Bag) |
| 1937 | Launch of the First Silk Scarf |
| 1984 | Creation of the Birkin Bag |
| 1993 | Paris Stock Exchange Listing |
| 2004 | Patrick Thomas becomes CEO |
| 2006 | Acquired Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier |
| 2010 | LVMH Reveals Stake |
| 2013 | Tanneries d'Annonay Acquired |
| 2015 | Tanneries du Puy Acquired |
| 2025 | ~$18.1B (€16.0B) Revenue and 24th Leather Workshop |
- Where was Hermès founded?
- Hermès was founded in Paris, France in 1837. wikidata.org
- Who founded Hermès?
- Hermès was founded by Thierry Hermès.
- When did Hermès start?
- Hermès was founded in 1837.
- How old is Hermès?
- Hermès is 189 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Thierry Hermès, born in Krefeld in 1801, opened a harness workshop in Paris in 1837 to supply bridles and harnesses to carriage owners. His son Charles-Émile moved the business to 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1880, still its flagship address. As cars replaced carriages, grandson Émile-Maurice Hermès steered the house into luggage, handbags and leather accessories in the 1920s, and the silk carré followed in 1937.
Founders
Thierry Hermès
Hermès possesses one of the most historic, aristocratic founding stories in the entire luxury sector, rooted not in high fashion or handbags, but in the demanding, utilitarian world of 19th-century equestrian travel. The company was founded in 1837 in Paris by Thierry Hermès, a skilled harness maker who was born in Germany to a French father and German mother. At the time Paris was the bustling center of carriage travel. Thierry Hermès did not set out to build a fashion empire; his foundational obsession was creating the highest quality, durable wrought harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade. He catered exclusively to the European nobility (winning prestigious medals at the Expositions Universelles in Paris). His harnesses were famous for their incredible strength and refined, understated elegance. The definitive pivot that transformed the company occurred under his son, Charles-Émile Hermès, and his grandsons, Adolphe and Émile-Maurice. In the early 20th century, Émile-Maurice recognized an existential threat: the invention of the automobile was destroying the equestrian carriage market. However, he also recognized a new opportunity. People were traveling differently, they were taking transcontinental trains and ocean liners, requiring durable, elegant luggage. Utilizing their expertise in saddle-stitching and high-quality leather, Hermès introduced the 'Haut à Courroies' bag (originally designed to carry saddles), which eventually evolved into the well-known Kelly and Birkin bags. By adapting their equestrian heritage into modern luxury travel and fashion, the Hermès family established an enduring, independent global empire.
Key Milestones
Founding of the Harness Workshop
Thierry Hermès opens his first workshop on the Grands Boulevards in Paris, specializing in the creation of the finest harnesses, bridles, and reins for the carriages of the European nobility. This modest beginning laid the foundation for what would become the most exclusive and financially successful luxury house in the world, establishing the core values of craftsmanship and quality.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgIntroduction of the Leather Handbag
Under the leadership of Émile Hermès, the house introduces its first leather handbags, inspired by the need for practical, elegant accessories for the new era of the automobile. This key moment marked the beginning of the company's transition from a pure equestrian supplier to a broader luxury goods manufacturer, laying the groundwork for its future dominance.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCreation of the Sac dépêches (Kelly Bag)
The house introduces the Sac dépêches, a sleek, leather handbag that would later be renamed the Kelly bag after Grace Kelly was photographed using it to shield her pregnancy in 1956. This well-known design would become one of the most coveted and valuable objects in the history of fashion, defining the modern era of the house.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLaunch of the First Silk Scarf
To celebrate the company's centennial, the house introduces its first silk scarf, the 'Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches', printed on silk sourced from the finest producers in Asia. The carré would become a global phenomenon, serving as the accessible entry point to the brand and a profitable cash cow that subsidizes the artisanal leather goods.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCreation of the Birkin Bag
Following a chance encounter on a flight between CEO Jean-Louis Dumas and the actress Jane Birkin, the house creates the Birkin bag, a spacious, unstructured leather bag designed for the modern, active woman. The Birkin would eventually surpass the Kelly in popularity and value, becoming the ultimate symbol of ultra-luxury and scarcity.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgParis Stock Exchange Listing
Hermes listed on the Paris stock exchange in June 1993.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPatrick Thomas becomes CEO
Patrick Thomas became CEO of Hermès International in 2004. Ran Hermès through strong growth in the 2000s and handed over to Axel Dumas, who became co-CEO in 2013 and sole Executive Chairman in 2014.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAcquired Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier
Hermès International acquired Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLVMH Reveals Stake
LVMH disclosed in October 2010 that it had built a 17 percent stake in Hermes. The dispute was settled in 2014.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTanneries d'Annonay Acquired
Hermès bought the Annonay calf-leather tannery in Ardèche, extending its control over leather supply.
Source: lexpress.frTanneries du Puy Acquired
Hermès Cuirs Précieux acquired long-standing calf-leather supplier Tanneries du Puy, known for box calf.
Source: echanges.dila.gouv.fr~$18.1B (€16.0B) Revenue and 24th Leather Workshop
Hermès passed ~$18.1B (€16B) in revenue and opened its 24th leather goods workshop at L'Isle-d'Espagnac.
Source: finance.hermes.comMajor Acquisitions
Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier
2006Hermès took a 25% stake in the Swiss movement maker to secure mechanical watch movements.
Heng Long (majority stake)
2011Hermès bought a majority stake in Singapore crocodile-leather tannery Heng Long to secure exotic skins.
Tanneries d'Annonay
2013Acquired the Ardèche calf-leather tannery to secure supply of high-grade calfskin.
Tanneries du Puy
2015Hermès Cuirs Précieux acquired a long-standing supplier known for box calf, for an undisclosed sum.
Keep researching Hermès
Hermès Company History FAQ
What are the major historical eras in the nearly two-century journey of Hermès?
Hermès' history spans its 1837 Parisian saddlery founding and Universal Exposition medals under Thierry and Charles-Émile Hermès, the 20th-century luxury travel, zipper, and silk carré expansion under Émile-Maurice Hermès, the mid-century Kelly bag and Robert Dumas era (1950s-1970s), the global Birkin bag and retail transformation under Jean-Louis Dumas (1978-2006), the LVMH takeover defense, and the modern record-breaking artisanal expansion under Axel Dumas (2013-present).
How was the Kelly bag born and popularized by Princess Grace Kelly in 1956?
Created in 1935 as the 'Sac à Dépêches' by Robert Dumas, the bag became a global sensation in 1956 when newly married Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly) used it to discreetly shield her pregnancy from paparazzi cameras on the cover of Life magazine, leading Hermès to officially rename it the 'Kelly'.
What is the famous story behind the creation of the Birkin Bag on an Air France flight in 1984?
In 1984, British actress Jane Birkin was seated next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a Paris-to-London flight. When the contents of her straw basket spilled, she complained she could not find a chic leather weekend bag with pockets. Dumas immediately sketched a spacious, supple leather tote on an airplane sick-bag, creating the well-known Birkin bag.
How did Hermès celebrate its historic initial public offering in Paris in June 1993?
In June 1993, Jean-Louis Dumas listed approximately 4% of Hermès on the Paris Bourse (Second Marché), oversubscribed by 34 times, creating public liquidity while keeping 96% of equity tightly held within the family branches.
What was the landmark resolution of the LVMH takeover battle in September 2014?
In September 2014, mediated by the French financial markets regulator (AMF), LVMH agreed to distribute its entire 23% Hermès shareholding to its own shareholders and institutional investors and pledged not to acquire any shares in Hermès for five years, cementing Hermès' total independence.
How did Hermès create the acclaimed 'Hermès in the Making' traveling public exhibition?
Hermès launched 'Hermès in the Making', a traveling global exhibition where real French master leather artisans, silk printers, gem-setters, and watchmakers demonstrate their handcrafting techniques live to the public in cities like Detroit, Singapore, Kyoto, and Rome.
How has Hermès expanded its commitment to French regional manufacturing communities?
Hermès has built over 60 manufacturing ateliers across regional France (Normandy, Franche-Comté, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne), creating thousands of dignified rural craft jobs and revitalizing local French industrial heritage.
What is Hermès' ultimate philosophy for the future of luxury in the modern world?
Hermès' ultimate philosophy is that true luxury is crafted by the human hand with love and patience, an intimate dialogue between human intellect, noble natural materials, and timeless beauty designed to be cherished and passed down through generations.
How did Hermès start?
Hermès was founded in 1837 in Paris by Thierry Hermès, a highly skilled leatherworker born in Germany. Originally, it was not a fashion brand; it was an elite harness workshop serving European nobility. They crafted incredibly durable, beautiful saddles and bridles for horses, which is why the brand's logo still features a horse-drawn carriage today.
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