The iconic Hermès Carré

The iconic Hermès Carré has become the symbol for understated luxury and has graced many famous celebrities and royalty.  For years, although a self-proclaimed fashionista, I didn’t care and was far more interested in next season’s hemline and heel height.

Not even when I saw a carré  at an Hermès boutique, was I in any way impressed or moved…but little did I know back then…Some years later, I saw IT, a vintage Hermès Scarf. The most beautiful scarf I had ever seen – this scarf moved me.

Bois de Boulogne, with glorious swans at its center and scenes from a bygone era of Parisians spending a Sunday afternoon in their beloved wood.  I threw all caution to the wind and immediately bought the scarf.  I was hooked.

Since then I have become a lover and collector of vintage Hermès Carré.   There is something very mesmerizing and exhilarating to feel the softness of the silk, to behold the details and vibrancy of a scarf that is over 50 years old.  The more I learned about these scarves and the process involved to create them, the more I loved and appreciated them. Did you know it takes two years to create one scarf?

If you love Vintage Hermès Carrés as much as I do, you probably already know all this, but if not you will find these facts fascinating:

Here are some known facts and maybe not so well known facts about this iconic 36 by 36 inch piece of silk:

 

•  Hermès was founded by a German family in 1837 as a harness & bridal workshop
• Over 1,000 scarf designs have been created since its introduction in 1937
• Carrés are scented
• It takes 7 skilled craftspeople and one designer to create one scarf
• 250 mulberry moth cocoons are necessary to make one scarf
• With the exception of the silkworm breeder, who is located in either China or Brazil, all craftsmen and women are located in France
• Each scarf weighs 65 grams
• Scarves are still hand printed today
• It can take up to 43 silk screens to create one design
• Over 200,000 different colors are available to designers
• Only vegetable dyes are used
• Each color has to dry for 1 month before the next color is applied
• When a scarf is finished it is washed, ironed and cut out and then the hem is sewn
• Each hem is hand rolled and hand stitched
• At one point every 25 seconds a brand new scarf was sold somewhere in the world
• The first scarf (1937) was called Jeu des Omnibus et Dames Blanches

And with it, an icon was born.

What interesting facts and tidbits do you know about Hermès? Did you know any of these facts? What makes Hermès special to you?