Designer Vintage Clothing Profile - Hermes

The legendary French luxury goods house began as a harness workshop in Paris in 1837. By the 1920s, Hermès had the patent for the zipper in France, and introduced the first ladies’ bags with zip closures, and in 1937, the first Hermès silk scarves were born (today, a scarf is allegedly sold every twenty seconds). The company expanded into riding gloves, belts, and men’s and women's sportswear, and designed the now-famous travel trunks to meet the needs of the new automobile drivers.

The Kelly bag debuted in 1956 after Grace Kelly used a large crocodile handbag to hide her pregnancy. In the seventies, the first women's shoe collection and the first complete men's ready-to-wear collection were introduced. Actress Jane Birkin replaced her old straw purse with a leather Hermès number in 1984, and started the rage that is the Birkin bag. Today the Birkin continues to have the longest waiting list of any luxury accessory—about six years.

Hermès also has a complete home line, bed and bath linens, furniture, silverware, crystal and porcelain, office accessories, and baby gifts.