Hermès

Origins: Thierry Hermès and the Harness Workshop (1837‑1878)

Thierry Hermès was born in 1801 in Krefeld to a French father and German mother. He learned leatherworking from his father and moved to Paris in the 1820s. Paris in the 1830s was a city of horse‑drawn carriages; nobles and monarchs prized ornate harnesses as status symbols. In this environment, Thierry opened a harness workshop on Rue Basse‑du‑Rempart in 1837[3]. His workshop specialised in high‑quality bridles, harnesses and saddles, and he aimed to serve the European elite. Hermès quickly gained recognition; his harnesses earned awards at the Paris World Fairs in 1855 and 1867[3]. Unlike many craftspeople who produced in volume, Thierry insisted on making each piece himself, using the durable saddle stitch and the finest leather. Although we have no surviving quotations from Thierry, his focus on quality over quantity established the brand’s ethos.

In the mid‑1800s, industrialisation was transforming Paris. Factories like those of the Singer sewing company were mechanising leatherwork, offering faster production at lower cost. Thierry could have mechanised to serve more customers. Instead, he embraced scarcity: he accepted only as many orders as he and his apprentices could complete by hand. He also decided to expand his client base beyond France, selling harnesses to European nobility and even the Russian and Spanish courts[4]. By focusing on elite clients and maintaining manual production, he elevated his workshop from an artisan’s shop to a symbol of prestige.

The founder’s discipline in protecting craft rather than chasing growth laid the cultural foundation that later generations would repeatedly refer to when making strategic decisions. When Thierry died in 1878, his son Charles‑Émile inherited a brand synonymous with perfection.

Expansion under Charles‑Émile and the Émile‑Maurice Generation (1878‑1930s). The first brand to use zipper.

By 1880 Charles‑Émile Hermès moved the workshop to 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint‑Honoré, an address that remains Hermès’ headquarters today[4]. The move signalled a shift from serving primarily horsemen to courting aristocrats visiting Paris’ fashionable district. Charles‑Émile and his sons Adolphe and Émile‑Maurice expanded distribution to Europe, Russia, North Africa and America[4]. Meanwhile, technological change threatened the family business. The late 19th century saw the advent of automobiles. Demand for horse‑drawn harnesses would inevitably decline.