Hermes Pulls Back The Curtain On Its Craft; Gives Life To Iconic Product Lines…

MCLEAN, Va. -- Sertisseur, horloger, chemisier, sellier, remailleur. The signs almost read like a foreign language because, well, they were in French. However, they only served to further pique the audience’s curiosity at a crowded VIP reception held Thursday evening inside a temporary workshop erected directly adjacent to the Tysons Corner location of luxury house Hermes.

There, amidst a modern interior created by internationally renowned Milanese designer Paola Navone, the iconic brand’s most loyal D.C. customers had been invited to spend time with dozens of French and Italian craftsmen and artisans that had been flown in directly from Hermes’ private workshops in Lyons, France.

Billed as the first “Festival des métiers” (aka a “Festival of Crafts”), the purpose behind such a special occasion was to give area shoppers and fans of the brand the opportunity to learn more about the production and manufacturing techniques behind the handbags, scarves, fashion pieces, and jewelry that have permeated the global luxury lexicon since Hermes opened its first store (as a maker of saddles and harnesses) in 1837.

Scattered throughout the venue were dozens of Hermes’ shirt makers, tie makers, watch makers, gem setters, saddlers, and silk printers – each armed with the tools of their respective trade (and we do mean tools, be it traditional or ultra hi-tech).

As guests sipped tall glasses of champagne and wine, they observed as dozens of luxury products were painstakingly created in front of their very eyes. Questions were highly encouraged and everything from material types to colors to training was up for discussion throughout the night.

When we asked why Hermes chose D.C. as one of only three cities (Seattle and Chicago being the other lucky hosts) for this festival, U.S. President and CEO Bob Chavez replied: “We have a great client base here…and it was just our way of expressing our thanks and appreciation to our many, many years here in the [D.C.] market. New York and LA are the obvious and we wanted to do the unobvious.”

Interestingly, Washington represents one of Hermes’ largest markets in the country for silk scarves. And such a level of interest was clearly evident at last night’s party as silk printers Henri Lely and Kamel Hamadou were two of the most popular people in the room!

In an age of assembly lines and mass production, it’s nice to see that personal “savoir-faire” is still alive and well. Some things are simply timeless…

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Hermes’ Festival of Crafts is open to the public from now until March 30, 2011 at Fairfax Square at Tysons Corner. The hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.