Thierry Hermes

"I know, when necessary, to shed the lion's skin to wear that of the fox. Napoleon"

"Circumstances are in Thierry's favor, but he will have to rise above and emerge from "this considerable mass of saddlers, collar makers, coachbuilders, wheelwrights, saddletree makers, spur makers..., who every day, created, adjusted, cut, forged new models of harnesses, bridles, saddles, bits, stirrups, luxury cars or commercial carts", as Ghislaine Bouchet highlights."

"In 1880, Charles Émile Hermès had wisely chosen a new location for his father's saddlery manufacture on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and begun diversification with leather goods. With success. This store, of which there is a photo, no longer exists. As for Basse-du-Rempart Street, it too, has disappeared."

"The tools that Thierry, for his part, uses, are, among others, the cornet, a formidable instrument for cutting leather, the lissette for smoothing it, the burnisher for burnishing the edges of the leather. Making a handmade saddle requires thirty-five hours of meticulous work."

"To get to Paris by stagecoach, it takes at least six days, a real adventure for a young saddler aged twenty years going abroad for the first time. In his luggage, saddler's tools, a few scraps of French, and perhaps a meager inheritance shared with his sister Elisabeth."

"1828, we find traces of Thierry. He lives at 92 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, in a disreputable neighborhood, a hotbed of prostitution."

"In 1837, the Hermès family returned to Paris. Thierry set up his workshop at 56 rue Basse-du-Rempart, a commercial street near the Madeleine, this monumental, albeit unfinished, church reigning over a vast square. The Madeleine district is where high-end carriage and luxury saddlery are found. Thierry observes the uninterrupted flow of idlers, elegant horsemen, and horse-drawn carriages. He'll be able to offer his services to a wealthy clientele, the future looks promising."

"In 1829, the small town welcomes not a tourist, but a saddler-cum-harness-maker who came for specifically professional reasons, hoping to perfect his knowledge, so to speak, in the techniques of leather work. Indeed, Pont-Audemer, crossed by the Risle and secondary canals, enjoys a reputation for the importance and quality of its tanneries and leather factories which date back to the 17th century, a time when tanners and curriers were the suppliers of Louis XIV's armies."

"Per aspera ad astra Through hardships to the stars. Seneca"