Thierry Hermès

Thierry Hermès (10 January 1801 in Crefeld – 10 January 1878 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French saddler and harness maker. The business that he founded was developed by his descendants and evolved into the luxury goods company known as Hermès.

As a young adult, he moved to Normandy and learned the trade of harness saddler. In 1837, he moved to Paris and opened a workshop specializing in the creation of harnesses for horses, a field in which he gained recognition at the 1867 Universal Exhibition. By the time of his death in 1878, his company was already recognized for its excellence in luxury saddlery.

His descendants played a crucial role in the development of the company, as he was succeeded by his only son, Charles-Émile, and his grandson Émile-Maurice Hermès. Later, Émile-Maurice's sons-in-law, notably Robert Dumas, contributed significantly to the company's expansion. Since 2013, the company has been headed by Axel Dumas, a member of the family's sixth generation.

Early life

Thierry Hermès was born on 10 January 1801 in the city of Crefeld in modern-day Germany, which was at that time part of the Roer department of the French First Republic as a result of the Revolutionary Wars; he was thus born a French citizen. He was the sixth child of a Protestant innkeeper and a mother of Rhineland origin, Agnese Kuhnen.

Posterity

Charles-Émile Hermès had two sons of his own, Adolphe and Émile-Maurice, who were involved in the family business building elite clientele in Europe, America, North Africa and Asia. Adolphe left Émile-Maurice with the business, as he believed that the company had a limited future in the era of horseless carriages. Émile-Maurice then took control in 1919 and, three years later, bought out his brother's shares. He noticed the demand for saddlery, leading him to steer Hermès towards the making of "saddle-stitched" leather goods and trunks for the customers who traveled by car, train or ship. He expanded the company, launching the leather goods and baggage lines.

After realizing the company was entering the age of automobiles, Émile-Maurice acquired a two-year patent for the zipper, which was known as the "Hermès Fastener". Once the zipper was introduced, clothing was transformed. Other entrepreneurs such as Coco Chanel wanted to learn from Hermès due to its rapid growth and popularity.

Émile-Maurice Hermès and his wife Julie Hollande had only daughters – Yvonne (born 1902), who married Francis Puech; Jacqueline (born 1903), who married Robert Dumas; and Aline (born 1907), who married Jean René Guerrand. Émile-Maurice joined forces with his three sons-in-law, who contributed to a large number of descendants. The 1930s saw the sons-in-law play a major creative role in the development of Hermès, contributing their creativity. Robert Dumas was notably the creator of carrés de soie and the Kelly bag, while Jean-René Guerrand moved into fragrances in 1951 with Eau d'Hermès and Calèche.

Robert Dumas finally succeeded Émile-Maurice Hermès upon his death in 1951. In 1978, Jean-Louis Dumas, son of Robert, took over the reins of the company, considerably increasing its sales. In 1993, the company went public, but the ownership of 80% of the shares remained with Hermès family members. Today, the House of Hermès is run by Axel Dumas, nephew of Jean-Louis and member of the sixth generation of the Hermès family, who became CEO in 2013. Many family members hold management positions in the company, such as Pierre-Alexis Dumas, who is the artistic director, and Guillaume de Seynes, managing director of the upstream division and holdings.

birth date	January 10, 1801
birth place	Crefeld, Roer Department, French First Republic
death place	Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris, French Third Republic
citizenship	French
occupation	Saddler and harness maker
death date	10 January 1878 (aged 77)
known for	* Founding Hermès * Patriarch of the Hermès family
spouse	Christine Pétronille Piérart (m. 1828)
children	1

Early life

Career

Posterity

Legacy

References