Hermes

In 1837, Thierry Hermes opened a horse harness workshop. Throughout the 1920s, Emile-Maurice Hermes (son of Thierry) remained as sole head of the business and added new accessories collections. In 1922, the first leather handbags were introduced and the company began to expand to America. In 1929, the first women's couture apparel collection was previewed in Paris. In 1935, the leather Sac a depeches (later to be renamed as the "Kelly Bag") was introduced, and, later in 1937, the Hermes scarves were introduced. Herm's oversaw the production of its scarves from beginning till end, purchasing raw Chinese silk, spinning it into yarn, and weaving it into fabric twice as strong and heavy than most scarves on market. The company's scarf designers would spent years creating new prints (individually screen-printed with vegetable dye). Each added color would be allowed a month to dry during the process of its creation before the next was applied. In 1937 a dedicated scarf factory was established in Lyon, France. Robert Dumas-Hermes (1898 - 1978) succeeded Emile-Maurice after his death in 1951, working in close collaboration with brother-in-law Jean-Rene Guerrand. The company also acquired its duc carriage with horse logo and signature orange boxes in the early 50s. In 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly (the new Princess of Monaco) carrying the Sac a depeches bag appeared in Life: The company renamed it the "Kelly Bag," and became hugely popular. By the late 1950s, the Hermes logo reaches renown status.