Heading for the stars

For the well-heeled and fashion-conscious today, the name Hermes brings on heavenly images of a different kind: exquisitely-made scarves, bags, jewellery and apparel.

Hermes is recognised globally as one of the most sought-after fashion brands: for instance, to acquire the Kelly handbag (named after the late Princess Grace of Monaco) potential customers may have to wait up to two years.

Indeed, Hermes' appeal has withstood the test of time. Founded in 1837 by Germany-born Thierry Hermes on the Rue Basse du Rempart in Paris,itis one of very few fashion houses left in the world--in the vein of family businesses like Fendi, Versace and Gimmo--that is run by the founder's flesh-and-blood successors.

The current chairman is Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermes, 61, a sixth generation Hermes.

"When a business goes from father to son, it is also from grandfather to grandson and great-grandfather to great-grandson. The person in charge is in care of a legacy, a future," says Jean-Louis, who was present at the official opening of Hermes' first boutique in Malaysia, at Suria KLCC, earlier this month.

"Every person who starts a business hopes that his descendants will keep up the fame," continues Jean-Louis. "And when you're in a family business, your hope is that if your great-grandfather ever comes back, he'll say: 'I am impressed.' "

A model in a blue grey herrringbone linen jacket and high neck sleeveless tunic pullover paired with linen trousers.

Spiritualism, symbolism and tradition are of great importance to Hermes, whose theme this year is aptly "stars and mythology". Its spring-summer catalogue is replete with images of celestial bodies while Mercurius, the mythical messenger of the gods and god of traders, inspires light, fancy-free footwear.

"Last year, it was the Year Of The Tree, a metaphor for the company's strong foundation, of giving food. Now we go up to the top of the tree and look at the skies and hopefully know where to go," explains Jean-Louis.

"The idea is to be conscious that we are very small and the sky, very big. So let us try to make the simplest detail important even though it may be very small."

Jean-Louis was 40 when he took over Hermes in 1978, upon the demise of his father. Though a student of architecture, Jean Louis' father Robert Dumas took up business management in the middle of World War I.

In 1928, Robert married the daughter of Emile-Maurice Hermes (who helmed Hermes from 1919 until his death in 1951) and became an active collaborator in the company.

Robert, who took over the company reins in 1951, concentrated specifically on scarf designs. Under his control, Hermes attracted celebrities like Grace Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr, Ingrid Bergman and Jackie Kennedy.

When Jean-Louis himself became chairman, he brought to the House Of Hermes the elan and enthusiasm of youth. He reorganised and invigorated the company's activities in silk, leather and ready-to-wear while combining new craft specialities with traditional techniques.

Hermes' apparel collection at its Suria KLCC boutique.

He launched the Hermes watch in 1979 through a fully-owned subsidiary in Switzerland, then enamel and porcelain, followed by silverware and crystal. In 1987, Hermes celebrated its 150th anniversary, a testament to the fact that the company has continued to grow without losing its soul.

Worldwide, the Hermes Group has over 170 stores and employs over four thousand people. Its consolidated turnover last year was 5bil French francs (RM3.18bil) compared to Ff4.8bil (RM3.06bil) in 1997.

With the exception of Japan, sales in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia dropped due to the economic recession and decline in tourism. Strong sales in Japan and the United States bolster the company's financial status. Hermes is planning to open its largest boutique in the world in Japan, by the end of next year.

A pretty display of Hermes bags. The fashion house boasts a waiting list of two years for select leather goods.

"The importance of our presense in Japan has led us to open in places where we can find vacationing Japanese clients and potential local customers. When we believe there's somewhere we can find patrons, we go," says Jean-Louis.

Its boutique in Suria KLCC was opened to the public in June last year. "We opened in the midst of economic slowdown and it went according to plan. We're doing better than expected so we're confident. We're the kind of company that likes to plant trees, and it's always better if the tree blooms," adds Jean-Louis, whose greatest satisfaction is seeing people use Hermes products.

He says: "That is the real joy of a craftsman. The joy comes from seeing the products being worn. It's like composing music; the joy is in hearing the songs, the joy comes back to you.

"Our challenge is to constantly find people who can afford Hermes in their way of life. We are suppliers of a touch of elegance, here to provide a person who's in search of her or his own elegance."

With the year 2000 around the corner, Hermes has already a few projects lined up. Its stars and mythology theme is a wake-up call for customers to take "a mercurial flight" into the new millennium.

To be expected by the end of the year is a perfume called Hiris (inspired by the Iris flower) and a space-inspired watch. Also in the pipeline is the "very revolutionary" Yeoh bag, named after our very own Michelle Yeoh.

"Michelle is a very charming person. The bag was created on a friendship basis," says Jean-Louis, adding that his son Pierre-Alexis is good friends with Yeoh.

As for how he is going to celebrate the last day of this century, Jean-Louis simply says: "I hope I sleep, and get a good night."(sic).

The dawn of a new millennium can only be a blessing for this astute businessman, as messenger of the gods Hermes is expected to bring yet more good tidings from above.