Hermès

Thierry Hermes founded his harness and saddlery workshop in Paris in 1837, serving the carriages of European nobility and establishing a standard of craftsmanship that has never wavered in nearly two centuries.

As the automobile replaced the carriage, the house turned its equestrian mastery to luggage, accessories and the saddle-stitch leatherwork that remains its hallmark, each piece made by a single artisan.

Hermes gave the world two of the most coveted objects in existence, the Kelly bag, named for Grace Kelly, and the Birkin, born of a chance encounter with Jane Birkin, both still handcrafted and famously rare.

The silk carre, introduced in 1937, turned the scarf into an art form, while a fierce commitment to in-house craft and family ownership kept the house gloriously independent.

Today Hermes stands at the very summit of luxury, a house where time, patience and the hand of the artisan create objects designed to be cherished, repaired, and passed down forever.