Add CategoryFrench fashion house Hermes is launching into the beauty category next year.
A collection will be developed in-house but manufactured by third-party suppliers in France and Italy, using plastic-free packaging.
“It’s a big market that’s already full of strong players, and therefore we have to find our place in it,” Hermes CEO Axel Dumas told the Business Of Fashion.
“It’s quite exciting: It’s a new activity, with all the risks that involves, so we will deploy it progressively, initially in our own stores mainly in a limited distribution so that we can learn.”
No stranger to the beauty world, Hermes has released a number of fragrances, including Twilly d’Hermès, Terre d’Hermes, and Un Jardin Sur La Lagune, which achieved sales of US$355 million last year.
Rival fashion houses Dior and Chanel are expanding into the beauty category and last month, Gucci confirmed it would launch a make-up range.
“Obviously, we hope to have the biggest scope possible,” added Dumas. “We are trying to do it humbly and cautiously, because it’s a big market that’s already full of strong players, and therefore we have to find our place in it.”
This story first appeared on sister site Inside Retail Asia.
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