You read that right, and we’re not crazy, today we’ll tell you why this brand gives us this love-hate feeling.
The origins of Hermès
It is important to put oneself in situation and understand the origins of Hermès, as this will help us to understand some details later on.
Hermès was born in 1837 by the hand of its founder, Thierry Hermès, in a very different way to what is understood today. And it was born as a small shop-workshop that manufactured handcrafted saddlery items, everything related to the world of horses. From harnesses and bridles to exquisite saddles. Because if there is something that has characterized this brand from the beginning, it is the precision and care with which they work in a handmade way each of their products.
It is not entirely clear how, with the passage of time, they entered the world of fashion. First they started with what they knew how to do, with leather, expanding their product catalog to luxury leather goods, and from there, to fashion.
Today, LVM owns a large part of its shares and, although they maintain the same quality as in the past in their products, especially in those related to leather, it has reached a point where the price does not justify the product.
Hermès silk scarves:
It was not until a century later, in 1937, that they started in the world of natural silk scarves. They did it by the hand of Robert Dumas, with a Carré (square scarf) called Jeu Des Omnibus et Dames Blanches.
Measuring 90 x 90 centimeters, it soon became a desired and exclusive piece for those who could afford it, princesses, actresses and people of high standing.
Such has been the fame of these scarves that today, if we think of the word Carré, it is impossible not to think of Hermès.
But we must recognize that it is not all about branding, and that it is a very well made product. Although over time, other ways of printing silk scarves have emerged, they continue to use the silk screen printing technique. But not just any silk screen printing, in which one screen is selected for a single color, and normally up to 4 colors are used. With hours and hours of work, they can produce up to 27 different color shades for each scarf. This means 27 different silkscreen printing screens, with exquisite precision when it comes to superimposing the colors and combining them.
In this video you can see what we are talking about:
What are we doing complimenting Hermès in this way?
We are not really complimenting the brand, but the know-how. As silk enthusiasts, we have no choice but to take our hats off (and we do it with pleasure) to them who have developed such a degree of quality and exquisiteness in their products.
Surely, much of our sales come thanks to them, as they were among the pioneers in popularizing and including silk scarves as a fashion accessory.
Why will we never make silk scarves like Hermès?
This question is ambiguous. On the one hand, the quality of the silk we select, the hand-stitched finish and the details and quality controls we have with our scarf production are not so different from Hermès. Of course, but then how is it possible that our scarves cost from 45€ and Hermès scarves do not go below 385€.
The most notorious difference is not in the product itself and its quality, but in everything that surrounds it. Hermès, like other high luxury brands, spends a fortune in creating that psychological bias of luxury, of exclusivity that makes people believe that by owning one of their products they belong or have a social status above those who do not. And that is something we have fought against from the beginning and will continue to fight against until the end. It is a totally different conception of the paradigm. For a brand, it’s their product that dresses you, that makes you who you are. For us it’s totally the opposite, You Are and you dress our product, never the other way around.
Do you really believe that the 300€ extra you are paying for a scarf from Hermès or another high luxury brand is because of its quality?
No, no and no. A big part of that price is for advertising, to create that reality and desire and need that you need it. Another big difference with us. We are not going to create a problem that our product is going to solve, that philosophy is nonsense, although unfortunately, too much implanted nowadays.
When you remove the psychological bias of exclusivity and luxury, what really remains is the value of the product itself, without frills. If with a part of the scarf’s profit you have to pay for advertising on television and others, to create that exclusive brand image, then the price ends up going up. Our advertising, the best, the one we like the most and the one that gives us the best results, mainly because of how happy it makes us, is word of mouth. Because that is our guarantee and affirmation that we are on the right track. And we ask ourselves, why can’t the good, the well done, be within everyone’s reach?
Another difference is the way we print the scarves. We do not select screen printing for the simple reason that we avoid large print runs, which in the end always lead to overproduction. Our business model is to go to what is demanded, to manufacture just enough and to save as much as possible in unnecessary resources, and this is only possible with high definition digital printing. This, and also get a range of colors, shades and lights almost impossible to achieve with screen printing, where colors are flatter.
The design of the Hermès silk scarves
Hats off to their designs. They work with the best designers who make real wonders. And if you look closely, you will see how the theme of horses is recurrent in their designs. That special nod to the past of how they started, making saddles and harnesses for horseback riding.
