Masterclass | Inside Hermès’ Best-in-Class Leather Goods Strategy

Created by BoF’s journalists and editors, in conjunction with our wider network of leading fashion creatives, thought-leaders, and innovators, Masterclasses are in-depth webinars with supporting resources, designed to deliver key learning outcomes on critical industry topics.

Hermès’ success goes far beyond the “grail” status surrounding its iconic Birkin and Kelly bags, according to experts who joined BoF’s luxury editor Robert Williams for this Masterclass exploring how the storied, family-run leather goods brand has become one of the industry’s most valuable companies.

“It’s because they do things differently that they’ve been so successful and that they have so much self-determination and differentiation in the market,” said Williams, author of a recent BoF case study on the topic, in discussion with Alexandre Samson, head of contemporary design at the Paris-based fashion museum Palais Galliera; Aurélie Husson-Dumoutier, HSBC luxury analyst; and Michel Campan, a fashion strategist at various luxury houses including Hermès and now an independent consultant.

Another factor working in Hermès’ favour, added Campan, is how it defines success through “a long-term vision of 20, 30 years, not just one or two years … with just one shot, one collection.”