🔥 Hot Topics & Stances

Hostile Takeover Battle with LVMH

"Bernard Arnault's LVMH secretly acquired a 23% stake in Hermès. The family fiercely resisted, creating a holding company to block the takeover and preserve their independence in a landmark corporate battle."

Source: Reuters

Use of Exotic Animal Skins

"Hermès is a primary target for animal rights groups like PETA for its use of crocodile and ostrich skins in its high-end handbags, leading to protests and undercover investigations."

Source: PETA

Artificial Scarcity & Elitism

"The brand's most famous products, like the Birkin and Kelly bags, are notoriously difficult to purchase, creating an aura of extreme exclusivity that critics label as a form of elitist gatekeeping."

Source: Business of Fashion

Fierce Family Control

"Unlike many other luxury brands that were absorbed into conglomerates, the Hermès family has gone to extraordinary lengths to maintain majority ownership and control over the company's direction."

Source: Financial Times

💼 Career Highlights

  • 1837: Thierry Hermès establishes a harness workshop in Paris, serving European nobility.
  • 1920s-30s: Introduced iconic products like the first leather handbags and silk scarves.
  • 1993: Hermès goes public with an IPO on the Paris Bourse, but the family retains a large majority stake.
  • 2010–2014: Successfully defended the company against a hostile takeover attempt by rival LVMH.
  • 2020s: Continues its status as one of the world's most valuable and exclusive luxury brands.