My opinion of Hermes is changing...
- Thread starter bostonbirkin
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As another data point for you, I'm not a new H customer and I love the clic H bracelets. I think they are pretty and fit my wrist well. And I will say, that some of the colors are a challenge to get!
Hi bostonbirkin!
i am so excited for you about this craie kelly! I think the handles are so special. I am intrigued to learn more about the malachite. Do you recall what the handle looks like? I don't mean to be off topic or intrusive, but do you recall the "ballpark" price for these beautiful bags? Congratulations!!!
Hermes like several other high end designer brands, are trying to captivate a new younger customer with a price point that
has appeal without intimidation.
As long as the quality is not dramatically changing there will be plenty to buy from H.
East coast/west coast, Europe & other countries will always have the conspicuous spender be it a millennial or a long standing
client.
Even Chanel has price points that are more attractive especially in the jewelry area to get the younger customers interested
in the brand.
has appeal without intimidation.
As long as the quality is not dramatically changing there will be plenty to buy from H.
East coast/west coast, Europe & other countries will always have the conspicuous spender be it a millennial or a long standing
client.
Even Chanel has price points that are more attractive especially in the jewelry area to get the younger customers interested
in the brand.
I agree completely, and will add that unless a Hermes appeals to new and/or younger customers, they will not exist for much longer (or maybe they will but as a subsidiary of LVMH[emoji6]). Most customers these days don't want to be beholden to one brand or one or two classic bags that they'll use forever. They want a variety of bags and accessories to change things up when they get the urge, and the lower price point items (relative to a Birkin or Kelly) allow them to do that. Leather shoulder straps fall right into that category. Frankly, I felt that Hermes "chased" a trend when they started making micro and mini bags, but clearly it was what their customers wanted.
Interesting about the horse speeds. I guess the yellow and white striped handle resembles the quarter pole on a racetrack. The others still look like shark teeth, to me! Malachite sounds intriguing. I'd be interested in the color combo used for that bag.
There is a great danger brandwise in trying to create an "accessible price point" tier in luxury. Does a robin's egg blue box mean luxury? Believe it or not, it used to.
Hurrah for you on the lovely Craie! And thank you for the Intel...from your report, I assume the "black" kelly in the trio photo is actually indigo. I like the story behind the handles as well - the kelly handle has the lines of a noseband or browband, so perhaps this motif has to do with racing tack.
This is very interesting. The H pop-up shop in the downtown Seattle Nordstrom is very similar - you can purchase scarves, ties, and all manner of fashion jewelry (i.e., not gold or silver), but they have no leather, not even belts. All leather, and watch, requests are referred to the full boutique. I do not have a sense of how their sales have been. And, unfortunately, they seem to be having issues with deliveries - I go in occasionally because they're so close to where I work and I like to look and see if they have anything hard to find - but they haven't received a new delivery since before the December holidays. I think the sales associates there are very frustrated by it.
This is a very interesting discussion. My perspective on it is that I invested quite a bit into bags and other items that I thought represented timeless elegance and I would prefer that they not devalue the brand. I think the analogy to the robin's egg blue box is spot on.
I don't think the H bracelets or belts devalue the brand. Although they don't appeal to me personally, I think others wear them tastefully. (Interestingly they are discontinuing the 32 mm belts for women.)
I think shamelessly copying the Gucci slip ons and adding a Kelly lock on the front does devalue the brand. I feel similarly about copying the Fendi straps. It just screams "we are in it for the quick return and will hop on any bandwagon" to me. The Kelly handles seem different. Just not for me.
It seems like they have an identity crisis. Are they serving a smaller clientele who will pay top dollar for quality long lasting products or do they want to appeal to the masses by following every trend?
And as far as the increased square footage of the stores: if there is no merchandise to buy they aren't going to increase sales. They built beautiful jewelry sections in these new stores but when you ask to see something they pull out one or two mostly empty trays. There aren't even sample pieces to try. I can't tell you how many times I have walked out of my store empty handed over the past 6 months.
I don't think the H bracelets or belts devalue the brand. Although they don't appeal to me personally, I think others wear them tastefully. (Interestingly they are discontinuing the 32 mm belts for women.)
I think shamelessly copying the Gucci slip ons and adding a Kelly lock on the front does devalue the brand. I feel similarly about copying the Fendi straps. It just screams "we are in it for the quick return and will hop on any bandwagon" to me. The Kelly handles seem different. Just not for me.
It seems like they have an identity crisis. Are they serving a smaller clientele who will pay top dollar for quality long lasting products or do they want to appeal to the masses by following every trend?
And as far as the increased square footage of the stores: if there is no merchandise to buy they aren't going to increase sales. They built beautiful jewelry sections in these new stores but when you ask to see something they pull out one or two mostly empty trays. There aren't even sample pieces to try. I can't tell you how many times I have walked out of my store empty handed over the past 6 months.
The Malachite was my second choice, the Handle was a pop blue, so it didn't have the same wow factor as the multicolored handles, IMO. The bags will cost about 13K. Each store only can order a hand full, so you should run now to your SM and SA : ) and reserve ; )
This is very true. I feel an attachment to certain brands, but I also feel like if a brand is mismanaged, or if their quality goes down, I will find a new one if needed. I've done that before! I think H will have staying power for a long time. They can divide up their price point items, and make certain items more recognizable, and other ones less recognizable, and we can all just buy what we like! But if they don't handle it well, we will all move on.
Yes, My SM said smaller wallets are going to be rolled out to fit into the smaller bags.
Spot on with the identity crisis. Believe it or not, DH and I have had these discussions as we have seen the business change over the last decade and he is interested from a business point of view.
On a separate note I was just saying recently to friends that I don't even understand how FSH treats long time customers (some are my personal friends who have had bad experiences). It seems to be that FSH only wants
a) VIP clients who go to the roof garden for pics with Michael Costes
b) local Parisian clients
c) first time customers who are chasing the dream of 'scoring' that elusive Birkin or Kelly, and hopefully are not resellers.
And everyone else is to shop at their local home store or online.
I suppose I should say: keeping the brand fresh is good. It should just be done with a sense of artistry, creativity and quality in keeping with the brands identity. Not by copying trends.