10 Fun Facts About Hermès

You may have heard of Hermès as a purveyor of luxury goods, but there are some fun facts that you will find quite interesting.

1. Was Hermès all about the bags business at the beginning?

Actually, Hermès began by providing harnesses in 1897. Later they created the leather bag for mens riding equipment which was later on referred to as “Haut À Courroies” bag.

2. Why does the picture of the brand contain the color orange which is synonymous with Hermès?

The brand although founded in the year 1837, the said orange color was first produced in 1945. Within the context of World War II, there was a critical shortage concerning materials for wraps. Hence, Hermès had to make use of the only available orange cardboard. To their delight, it was well accepted and the orange marked the brand.

3. What does the Hermès symbol of the horse carriage represent?

The logo design was derived from a picture that Émile-Maurice Hermès the third heir of Hermès had acquired depicting the horse and a chariot with its rider. The picture is still eye-catching to visitors of the Hermès museum as it is on display.

4. The Origin of the Kelly Bag

The Kelly bag is already an earlier Hermès design and is so-called after the American actress and Monaco princess – Grace Kelly. Due to Grace Kelly carrying a Kelly’s bag while pregnant and covering her belly with it during press shoots, this image made its way to over 1500 online pages. Therefore, the image went viral. So, Hermés decided to name the bag after her.

5. The Birth of the Birkin Bag

In 1984, on a plane, Jean-Louis Dumas, a self-proclaimed heir of Hermès’s fifth generation, found his seat next to the French actress Jane Birkin. She told him that his her bag is too small, and it captivated Dumas enough to think up a big leather bag that would go on to be a worldwide sensation known as the Birkin bag.

6. Why is the Constance Bag called Constance?

In 1967, while designing the bags, an Hermès bag designer named Catherine Chaillet after her daughter, who was also Constance, as a symbol of a mother’s love. The constance bag, although not the most expensive product which Hermès offers has quite an elusive quality in terms of availability status due to a relatively few amount of units produced each year.

7. Hermès Scarves Design as the Next Work of Art

The unmistakable silk scarves production of Hermès is done with the help of more than 40 artists with one designer working for about six months towards just one design. Presently, Hermès has up to 75,000 shades of colors which they can use to make their scarves and each design of a scarf takes up to two years in terms of design.

8. Did Hermès Make the Zip?

To be accurate, the technology called Fermeture Hermès zipper was invented by Hermès. Undoubtedly, the brand’s Bolide bag was the first ‘hand handbag’ to feature the zipper while the brand also incorporated the technology in old Chanel skirts.

9. Coffee is Available in Hermès?

Oh my god, really? It's all over too exemplary a statement! In various cities such as Paris, Seoul and Tokyo, there are also flagship Hermès shops which have coffee shops with all the tableware labeled Hermès. One cup of ‘coffee’ bold, in my case - costs about 75 Yuan (11 dollars approx.). Such a unique, yet probably the most democratic product of Hermès brand is offered to its clients.

10. At One Point, LVMH Owned 23% Of Hermès

There was also a time when LVMH (the house of Louis Vuitton) backed by a 23 % stake in Hermes. But this error was subsequently corrected as they were fined for infringement of stock market laws and reduced to 8 % of equity. LVMH then used the residual shares in the purchase of Dior.