Thierry Hermès

Leather, Paris. Hermès opened a harness workshop in 1837 serving the carriage trade, known for saddle stitching done by hand with two needles. When cars replaced horses, his descendants moved the same skills into bags and luggage. Hermès still trains its own leather craftsmen for years and has each bag made largely by one artisan, keeping volumes deliberately limited, which is as much a pricing strategy as a craft one.