It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery , jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. The family moved to France in In , the first women's couture apparel collection was previewed in Paris. The scarves became integrated into French culture. By this point, the company's designers began to draw inspirations from paintings, books, and objets d'art.
The company also acquired its Duc-carriage-with-horse logo and signature orange paper boxes in the early s. Purportedly, she held it in front of herself to disguise her pregnancy.
In , Jean-Claude Ellena became the in-house perfumer or "nose" and has created several successful scents, including the Hermessence line of fragrances. From the s, tableware became a strong segment of the firm.
New materials used in the collection included porcelain and crystal. At the time, the equity sale generated great excitement. In , Jean-Louis hired iconoclastic Belgian designer Martin Margiela to supervise women's ready-to-wear.
After 28 years as head of the firm, Jean-Louis Dumas retired in January ; he died in after a long illness. In Asia, excluding Japan, where the turnover grew by 7 percent, in America with a 10 percent rise, and in Europe a growth of 7 percent was achieved. A good performance in the group's stores was generated.
