Brand intelligence
Hermès
Hermès is the Paris luxury house founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès. Its work spans leather goods, saddlery, ready-to-wear, silk, footwear, jewellery, watches, fragrance, beauty and home, united by a long-term commitment to craft, repair and material expertise. The creative structure is deliberately distributed: Pierre-Alexis Dumas is Artistic Director of Hermès; Nadège Vanhée leads women’s ready-to-wear and Grace Wales Bonner leads men’s ready-to-wear. Axel Dumas is Executive Chairman. This page makes those scopes legible rather than flattening them into a single creative-director field. Hermès publishes its own group reporting, but the directory only labels a figure as a particular métier or product-line result when the company expressly discloses that attribution.
- Country
- France
- Founded
- 1837
- Creative lead
- Pierre-Alexis Dumas
- Ownership
- Hermès International
- Revenue scope
- Consolidated Hermès International
- Documented milestones
- 6
- Thierry Hermès — Founder1837–1878 · house · former · Hermès
- Martin Margiela — Artistic Director, Women’s Ready-to-Wear1997–2003 · womenswear · former · Vogue
- Jean Paul Gaultier — Artistic Director, Women’s Ready-to-Wear2003–2010 · womenswear · former · Vogue
- Pierre-Alexis Dumas — Artistic Director2005–Present · all fashion · current · Hermès
- Christophe Lemaire — Artistic Director, Women’s Ready-to-Wear2010–2014 · womenswear · former · Vogue France
- Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski — Artistic Director, Women’s Ready-to-Wear2014–Present · womenswear · current · Le Parisien
- Grace Wales Bonner — Creative Director, Men’s Ready-to-Wear2026–Present · menswear · current · Hermès
- Pierre-Alexis Dumas — Artistic Executive Vice-President2005–Present · group · current · Hermès
- Axel Dumas — Managing Director, Hermès Bijouterie2006–2008 · business · former · Hermès
- Axel Dumas — Managing Director, Leather Goods and Saddlery2008–2011 · business · former · Hermès
- Axel Dumas — Executive Vice-President of Operations2011–2013 · group · former · Exor
- Axel Dumas — Executive Chairman2013–Present · group · current · Hermès
- 1837 — Harness workshop opensThierry Hermès establishes the house in Paris.
- 1880 — 24 Faubourg Saint-HonoréCharles-Émile Hermès moves the workshops to the house’s enduring address.
- 1984 — Birkin bag createdThe house develops the Birkin, extending its leather-goods vocabulary.
- 1997 — Martin Margiela appointedMargiela begins his women’s ready-to-wear tenure.
- 2005 — Pierre-Alexis Dumas appointedThe sixth-generation family member becomes artistic director.
- 2026 — Grace Wales Bonner joinsWales Bonner takes creative direction of men’s ready-to-wear.