The Infamous Hermes Paris Handbags

Hermes is recognized by its Duc carriage with horse logo.

The Hermès family, originally Protestant Germans, settled in France in 1828. In 1837, Thierry Hermès (1801 - 1878) first established Hermès as a harness workshop (on the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris) dedicated to purveying to European noblemen. His goal was to create the finest wrought harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade. Coronations were sometimes postponed for years until Hermès could create original carriage designs, or so it is rumored. The company was earning accolades as early as 1855, winning first prize in its class at the 1855 Paris Exposition. Monsieur Hermès won the First Class Medal of the 1867 Exposition Universelle as well.

Hermès son, Charles-Emile Hermes (1835 - 1919), took management from his father, and, in 1880, moved the shop to a location near the Palais de l'Elysée at 24 Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. It is in this location in which the new leader introduced saddlery and began retail sales. With the aid of his sons (Adolphe and Émile-Maurice Hermès), the company became purveyors to the elite of Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia, and the Americas. In 1900, the company offered the haut à courroies bag specially designed so that riders could carry their saddles with them.

Established in 1837, the saddle shop of Thierry Hermès in Paris quickly became an international success. Hermès continues to implement its traditional techniques into its creations. Recognized clientele of Hermès include: Paris Hilton, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Elle MacPherson, Elizabeth Hurley, and Madonna.

Time to put an end to the suspense. We previously teased you with the orange box, now it's time to show off the goods. This being Megs' first dive into Hermes exotics, the Hermes Kelly Long Wallet (officially: Money Holder) in orange matte alligator is the quintessential combination of skin and tone from the House of Hermes. Megs had been contemplating to go exotic with Hermes for a while - when our Hermes SA contacted us and we learned about this beauty's immediate availability, there was not much hesitation. The wallet is made from matte Mississippi alligator and dyed in Hermes' signature orange color. The gator version is denoted by the small square printed by the Hermes logo. This exotic skin is mainly reserved for Hermes' smaller leather goods, larger bags are very rare in alligator.

This Kelly Long variety also comes in other leathers. It is available in mysore goatskin, box calf and epsom calfskin in a broad variety of colors. Prices for the regular leather versions range around $2,350. Needless to say, this exotic version is a wee bit more expensive. Inquire with your local Hermes boutique if interested.

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I completely baby my Hermes Birkin. I only own one and it is my holy grail. I specifically remember learning about the infamous Birkin Bag first my sophomore year in high school. A "wait list" I asked? What kind of price tag? It seemed shocking, but my friend and I made a pact to own a Birkin at some point in our lives. I made a point to call her when I got mine two years ago.

The one piece of advice I would give anyone waiting for a Birkin:

Wait until you can get the exact bag of your dreams. Want a specific color, hardware, size, leather: Wait for it. When spending that much on a handbag, you should get the exact bag you wished for. I got mine, a 30 cm Blue Jean Birkin in Togo leather with Palladium hardware.

Yesterday we took her out for a photo shoot. The sky was perfectly blue and the sun was radiating, though it was so unbearably hot that I flooded my body with bottles of water until I felt the urge to fall off that bridge and float away. The Blue Jean color from Hermes is widely recognized and widely sought after. I love the splash of color, which works for every season and every color palette. And the bag itself, a work of art.

...that there are only 100 Hermes craftsmen in the world allowed to make these bags, and a Birkin such as the Himalaya Croc Birkin takes OVER 20 hours of work to make BY HAND by one same skilled craftsman! This is what separates Hermes bags from any other maker!!

For many women, their passion is fashion accessories. However, the Hermes Birkin is one accessory that many women will wait years to get. The reason? A Hermes Birkin is the absolute crowning jewel in handbags

For over 170 years, Hermes has provided the world with some of the most luxurious leather goods. The Hermes bag has earned a reputation as one of the most desired handbags in history. One of the reasons is that a Hermes bag is created from the best leather available. They are crafted and created individually. The waiting list for this bag is usually about two years and carries a price tag into the thousands, sometimes the tens of thousands. The Hermes Bags are not available online; however, there are some occasionally offered on online auction sites, but at an extremely high markup.

The Hermes Birkin bag is the ultimate in the status bag. The initial design of this Hermes bag was originally designed in 1920 by a very high profile fashion house. However, it was Jane Birkin who can be credited with bring the Hermes Birkin to life in 1984. This British born singer and actress was a resident of France for most of her life.

One of the stories that surround the idea for the Hermes Birkin bag is that Jane Birkin sat next to the CEO of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight from Paris to London in 1984. She opened her Hermes date book and watched as several notes fell to the floor. Mr. Dumas asked for Birkin's date book and had it sent back to her with a pocket on the back. Birkin and Dumas spoke at length about how difficult it was to find a weekend bag made of leather. When Dumas prompted Birkin to continue speaking, she told him what she would like to see in such a bag. It wasn't long before just such a bag arrived at her flat, sent from Dumas.

Traditionally, Hermes bags are simply elegant, useful, and stunning in their design. While the Birkin may indeed be the crème de la creme of the Hermes line of bag, there are others that are impressive as well. However, for many women, no other bag will do.

A true Hermes Birkin will start at approximately $7500. However, there are a few that go for as much as six figures! While not everyone can afford such a luxury, there are many websites that offer deep discount on these bags, when they can find them. Knock offs are always a problem for any designer, but a true Birkin is considered a work of art.

For those women who must have only the absolute best in a handbag, the Hermes Birkin, or any Hermes bag actually, will easily fit the bill. While many wish and dream about such a bag, others will rush to place an order with each new design and wait patiently for it to arrive.

The economy may be hurting world wide, but those that love Hermes are still buying. In fact, Hermes has resorted to breeding its own crocodiles on farms in Australia to meet the demand for its exotic bags. It is reported that Hermes makes around 3,000 crocodile bags every year and demand continues to grow while the crocodiles are not readily available to fill orders. It can take three to four crocodiles to make one Hermes bag, so the move to use their own farms makes sense.

While other brands are hurting, Hermes continues to churn sales increases. Along with their own crocodile farms in Australia, Hermes is also hiring an additional 50-100 leather workers to join the staff of 2,000 in Paris. What does this mean for us? An easier change to purchase a Hermes crocodile bag, if we have the funds to do so.

[Story via Reuters]

PARIS (Reuters) - French luxury goods group Hermes has resorted to breeding its own crocodiles on farms in Australia to try to meet demand for its leather bags, its chief executive said on Monday.

Customers sometimes have to wait several years for certain exotic-skin bags, which can fetch over 35,000 euros ($48,410).

"It can take three to four crocodiles to make one of our bags so we are now breeding our own crocodiles on our own farms, mainly in Australia," Patrick Thomas told the Reuters Global Luxury Summit in Paris.

Hermes already faces a major challenge producing 3,000 crocodile bags a year, Thomas said, adding: "The world is not full of crocodiles, except the stock exchange!"

Crocodile farming can be expensive, with the reptiles having to be kept apart in separate rooms to protect their skins from bites, but even so allowances have to be made for natural losses that can amount to around a third of bred crocodiles.

Hermes' leather goods, which account for 40 percent of its business, have been the most robust in the current downturn with the group taking on 50-100 leather workers this year to add to the 2,000 craftsmen it already employs at French sites.

Thomas admits the group has been pushing other areas of the business, such as fashion and textiles, so it is not so reliant on leather bags, but says this area continues to be its fastest-growing product line.

"We cannot face demand. We have massive over-demand. We are limited by our ability to train new craftsmen," he added.