Hermès: A Manufacturing Model Aiming to Attract

Sustainability, Quality, Innovation, Transmission. These four core values, highlighted in Hermès’ official statement, encapsulate the purpose of its traveling exhibition, Hermès in The Making, which will take place from November 6 to 14 at Zurich’s Lichthalle Maag. The event is designed to draw the public into an experience centered around the brand's foundational principles, providing an “in vivo” understanding of the quality behind Hermès products—a legacy maintained for 187 years. Artisans specializing in leatherwork, glove-making, jewelry, watchmaking, and ceramics will not only demonstrate their skills but also offer to share their practice through workshops designed for novices.

Beyond displaying these hand-made crafts, the exhibition aims to reaffirm the core principles of the house located at 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré. These values are essential for retaining a highly discerning clientele, who are global consumers of luxury goods and have witnessed significant price increases in both primary and secondary markets over the past five years. This effort to educate customers about quality—whether in saddle stitching, fine porcelain painting, or the assembly of complex watch mechanisms—addresses an audience that may have lost its bearings in an era where a brand’s manufacturing is sometimes no longer based in its country of origin or relies on processes far removed from its marketing image.

Olivier Fournier, Executive Vice President for Governance and Organizational Development, explains, “Hermès in The Making aims to remind the world that in an era of 3D-printed products, Hermès items are still handcrafted. And beyond the hands, there is the sharp eye, where precision is measured in millimeters. In an age of digitalization and immediacy, Hermès celebrates the virtue of time well spent.”