During the 1930s the house launched several items that became classics, including the large

THEN: “Kelly” handbag, c. 1930, crocodile, named after Grace Kelly.

crocodile handbag known later as the Kelly, named for Grace Kelly. Another classic, the Birkin, was designed by Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984 and named for actress Jane Birkin who replaced her old straw purse with a leather Hermès example. Both the Kelly and the Birkin are periodically refashioned and produced in a variety of materials. The Kelly bag, for example, comes in soft leather, backpack and sporty versions. In 2007 Jean-Paul Gaultier introduced a soft leather Kelly that folds down to a clutch.

In the 1950s Robert Dumas-Hermès (1898–1978) and Jean-René Guerrand- Hermès (1901–1993), Emile Hermès’ sons-in-law spearheaded the old-guard family business. They took charge of the company and pursued its diversification and expansion. Robert Dumas-Hermès married the daughter of Emile-Maurice Hermès and was his active collaborator from that point on, becoming an unparalleled artist of silk scarf design. During the 1950s he worked in collaboration with his brother-in-law Jean-Rene Guerrand-Hermès on developing new products, including the men’s necktie, in 1949. The contemporary line Vibrations, introduced in 2005 and composed of eight designs in 10 identical color schemes, extends and updates the classic stirrup and bit motifs for which Hermès ties are renowned.

Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès, son of Robert Dumas, took up the reins of management in 1978 (he stepped down in 2006) and, along with his cousins, enlivened the company with youthful enthusiasm. He launched the Hermès watch in 1979 and extended the company’s presence throughout the world, designing stores in such as way as to show respect for the local culture of the countries where they are established. In creating new scarf designs Hermès often partners with independent artists. At an art fair in Waco, Texas, Jean-Louis discovered Texas painter Kermit Oliver and commissioned him to create printed scarf designs, including “Les Mythologies des Hommes Rouges,” which reflects the spirit of the American Indians, their culture and the horse.
Special-edition scarves have commemorated many events in American life: In 1986, the centennial

NOW: “Kelly Flat” handbag that folds down to a clutch, spring–summer 2007, calfskin.

of the Statue of Liberty was marked by the production of a “Liberty” scarf. “Envol,” issued in 1995, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Le Salon Doré was issued in 1996 for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Last year Le Salon Doré was reissued, with proceeds benefiting the rebuilding of New Orleans’ historic City Park carousel, which had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina—yet another Hermès nod to its equine roots.

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Polly Guèrin, a former adjunct assistant professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, covers antiques and decorative arts for Art & Antiques.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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►Hermès
New York
212.751.3181

►Hermès of Paris
011.33.1.40.17.49.20

►The Museum at FIT Fashion Institute of Technology
New York
212.217.5970
The exhibition “Luxury” (through Nov. 10) covers 250 years of fashion history and includes more than 150 garments, accessories and textiles from the museum’s permanent collection, including accessories by Hermès.