This announcement marks a strategic turning point in Hermès’ history. At the company’s annual general meeting on April 17, 2026, Axel Dumas—CEO of Hermès International—confirmed that the House would launch its first Haute Couture collection in 2027. True to its DNA, the Parisian saddler is approaching this territory with caution, placing artisanal excellence at the heart of its approach.
An Ambition Confirmed at the Top
In February 2025, during the presentation of the annual results, Axel Dumas officially announced his intention to bring his House into the exclusive circle of Haute Couture. At the annual general meeting on April 17, 2026, he specified that the first collection is expected to debut in 2027, in January or July. He also noted that the House is in the midst of a recruitment drive and that he had already seen the initial designs, which he particularly appreciated.
This project is part of a natural evolution rather than an opportunistic move. The CEO has emphasized this repeatedly: Haute Couture is above all a matter of craftsmanship, a field in which Hermès already excels, particularly thanks to its mastery of leather and tailoring.
In a landscape dominated by historic Houses such as Chanel or Dior, Hermès’s arrival is not part of an aggressive conquest strategy, but rather a coherent extension of its universe.
An artistic direction already in place
Unlike other Houses, Hermès does not rely on a single figure, but on a pluralistic creative organization. For Haute Couture, two names stand out.
First and foremost, of course, is Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, creative director of women’s ready-to-wear since 2014, who is set to helm the couture silhouettes, continuing her work on refined and functional elegance. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Antwerp in 2003 and the Institut Français de la Mode in 2004, recognized for her refined and contemporary approach to luxury, she began her career at Maison Martin Margiela before joining Céline under the direction of Phoebe Philo from 2008 to 2011. She continued her career at The Row for three years, where she refined her minimalist aesthetic, before joining the House of Hermès in 2014.
But the name of Léa Peckre, a French designer trained at La Cambre in Brussels, known for her approach blending artisanal precision and creative radicalism, is also being mentioned by the fashion press. Her career and her sense of style reportedly caught the attention of Hermès, which invited her to contribute to the development of its first Haute Couture line, alongside Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski.
Winner of the Grand Prix at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography in 2011, Léa Peckre founded her eponymous brand the following year and joined Paris Fashion Week in 2014.
Having worked at houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, and Isabel Marant, she quickly made a name for herself on the Parisian scene, notably by winning the ANDAM First Collections Award in 2015. She then joined Celine, where she headed women’s ready-to-wear design from 2020 to 2025.
Haute Couture: A Strict and Demanding Framework
Entering the Haute Couture sector in France is not a matter of simply declaring so. The designation is legally protected and regulated by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. To obtain this status, a House must meet several specific criteria: design bespoke pieces for a private clientele, maintain a workshop in Paris with a minimum number of artisans, present two collections per year (January and July), and ensure that the work is predominantly done by hand.
These requirements make Haute Couture an extremely exclusive circle, where technical excellence takes precedence over any focus on volume.
Tense results shed light on the couture strategy
This foray into Haute Couture comes amid a more challenging economic environment for Hermès. In the first quarter, the leather goods house reported revenue of €4.1 billion, which was indeed up 6% at constant exchange rates but still below market expectations. This announcement triggered an immediate reaction on the Paris Stock Exchange—a 13% drop at the market open on April 15, with the stock closing down 8%. This slowdown is partly due to a sudden halt in March, following a strong start to the year, largely driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. In this typically dynamic region, business activity declined sharply, also impacting international tourist flows, which are essential to the luxury sector.
In this context, the Haute Couture project takes on a special significance. More than just a development, it can be seen as a strategic statement: one aimed at further reinforcing Hermès’s uniqueness by drawing on its core business—artisanal excellence—and a loyal clientele less susceptible to economic fluctuations. It is also a way to reaffirm a vision of luxury based on rarity, craftsmanship, and the long term.
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Featured photo: © Hermès
