12 Interesting Fun Facts About Thierry Hermes

Do you want to know some fun facts about Thierry Hermes? 

Who doesn’t know Hermes? Hermes is one of the most recognizable French luxury brands in the world. The company has been around for over 200 years and continues to innovate today. 

If you are looking for some facts about Thierry Hermes, the man behind this luxurious eponymous brand, then you’ve come to the right place! 

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We’ll be going over everything from its humble beginnings as an errand-boy company in France to its current role as a leading purveyor of high-end handbags and accessories. 

So without further ado, here are the most interesting and fun facts about Thierry Hermes.

12 Interesting Fun Facts About Thierry Hermes

1. Thierry Hermes was born in Germany

Thierry Hermès was a French entrepreneur who established Hermès International and became a prominent fashion designer. His birth occurred in the German city of Krefeld in 1801.

Since Thierry lived in a town that was a part of the previously conquered First French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte regarded him as a French citizen in the fledgling First French Empire. 

The family relocated from Krefeld to Paris in 1828, not long after a considerable number of its members had perished as a result of illness or had been killed in combat during the continuing Napoleonic wars.

2. The Hermes family ran a silk business in 1801

Thierry Hermes’s father was a French entrepreneur named Dietrich Hermes, and Dietrich Hermes wed a French woman named Agnese Kuhnen. They owned and operate a silk company in Krefeld on Konigstrasse, which is located 8 kilometers from the Rhine River.

Krefeld is located north of Duesseldorf and south of Duisburg, and the city is well known for its long tradition in the silk business. In addition, it was known as “Samt and Seidenstadt,” which translates to “city of silk” in English.

3. His family owned a hotel business

Some reports claim that the Hermes family also had a hotel, which may have been nearby to their silk factory. Not many information about Thierry Hermes is available, but it’s conceivable that as a young man he had worked for the Krefeld-based family business in 1815.

It was challenging for Thierry Hermes’ dad, a former immigrant from France, to flourish in the area under the von der Leyensit control. This was especially true with the demise of Napoleon’s French Premier Empire government and Krefeld’s restoration to Prussia.

4. Thierry Hermes moved to Normandy

At age 20, Hermes chose to leave Germany and move to France, where his father’s family had originally come from. In his bags, he had nothing but the knowledge of how to work with fabrics that would help him later start his own fashion company in Paris. 

Thierry Hermes migrated to Normandy in the year 1821, settling in Pont Audemer, a small town around Deauville and Rouen. It is dubbed the “Venice of Normandy.”

Because Pont Audemer is on the Risle River, it has a lot of waterways. This was perfect for the leather industry, which needed a lot of water to wash leather.

5. Young Thierry Hermes worked at a leather factory

Another interesting trivia about Thierry Hermes was that he also trained in the techniques involved in working with leather, in addition to his expertise in textiles.

In Pont Audemer, Hermes was hired by the Pleumer family, who operated a successful leather production business. There he was acquainted with leather, which would later become associated with his world-famous brand. 

6. Hermes started with saddles and harness

Thierry Hermes established the Hermes brand in 1837. He began the business as a modest workshop that specialized in the production of saddles and harnesses for members of the French nobility.

The business flourished and grew over the years, eventually expanding its range of products to include leather items, accessories, and fragrances. 

Hermes is currently recognized as one of the most prestigious luxury brands on a global scale.

7. Thierry Hermes only had one successor

Charles-Emile was the name of Hermes’ only son with his wife Christine Petronille Pierrart. 

Charles-Emile Hermes ended up taking over the family business after his father, Thierrt, passed away on January 10, 1878. The younger Hermes transferred the manufacturing to 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré and opened a storefront. Harnesses and saddles were custom-made at this now-iconic address. 

The reputation of the House of Hermes for the quality of its works of art expanded across Europe.

8. Hermes’ grandson launched zipper to Hermes bags

The grandson of Thierry Hermes, Emile Hermes, took control of the company after his own father. 

He was influenced by a very straightforward concept that brought about a fundamental shift in the direction the family firm would take.

While he was in Canada, Emile Hermes observed an American “close-all” opening and shutting device that was installed on the hood of a military vehicle. This technology captivated his interest.

In 1922, he successfully acquired the only rights to manufacture and sell this device, which we now refer to as a zip or zipper. The company began to implement it on many of its bags.

9. Emile Hermes aimed to impress customers by launching accessories

Not only did Emile Hermes value his heritage, but he also had a deep appreciation for the time in which he lived. New métiers were welcomed into the family business as a direct result of his leadership.

A golf jacket was the first men’s clothing to be made specifically for ready-to-wear production in the year 1925.

Hermes was fast to launch jewelry in 1927, joined by watches and sandals the following year (1928), in order to complement the looks of its clients.

10. Emile Hermes’ son-in-law, launched the first silk scarf from Hermes

1937 marked the debut of the scarf, which had been designed as a woodblock print by Robert Dumas, the son-in-law of Emile Hermes.

The scarves, which were crafted with the highest quality silk from China, quickly drew the attention of the society members in Paris, and fast became an essential accessory.

11. Emile Hermes passed the Hermes family company to his son-in-law

Emile Hermes, the father of four girls, ultimately handed the reins of the company over to his son-in-law, Rober Dumas in 1951. Dumas became the chief executive officer of the company.

Dumas was responsible for many of the House’s significant successes, including the first silk scarf, the Birkin and Kelly bags, and the Chaine d’ancre bracelet which he was motivated to create while watching boats moored in Normandy. 

12. Thierry Hermes’ descendants continue to run the company he founded 

The sixth-generation members of the Hermès-Dumas family continue to run the business Thierry Hermes had founded in 1837. 

Pierre-Alexis Dumas started working for the Hermès Group in its Paris headquarters in 1991. Pierre-Alexis Dumas also took over the public relations department of Hermes that same year.

In 2008, he started Fondation d’Entreprise Hermes with the purpose of supporting art entrepreneurs across the globe. 

Pierre-Alexis Dumas has been named the brand’s artistic director since 2011 while his cousin, Axel Dumas, has been the company executive chairman since 2013. 

As the modern CEO of Hermes, Axel Dumas has continued the fast development of the company with the construction of several stores globally. He has also been instrumental in the Hermes Group’s e-commerce strategy execution, which resulted in 2017 revamp of the Hermes website.

Axel Dumas has brought Hermès into the modern technology era, meeting the demands of clients who are growing increasingly connected to one another. The multichannel dynamic inside the organization is being stepped up by the group, which he is leading, thanks to his leadership.