The Ultimate: Crème de la Hermès

Urban dictionary, listen up. It’s time to include a new definition of “Hermès” beyond the Greek god you have listed. This is our proposal.

Hermès | hair mez |

Adverb

special, top of the line, unparalleled: it’s the Hermès of cars

World’s first Hermes Edition Pagani Huayra by SuperCar Blondie

Not just a brand but a quality guarantee is another way of thinking about it. As much as the Hermès Birkin (and its sister the Kelly) are the ultimate holy grail handbags for many, using Hermès as an adjective (rather than brand identifier) is the latest way to say an item is the proverbial ‘cream of the crop.’

Image Credit: @iamhearte

Indeed, the most prevalent and popular usage of the word nowadays refers to something special and hard to obtain. As in “it’s the Hermès of…” *name your product or service line of choice*

Don’t believe us? Just look at some recent headlines and articles:

I Tried the Hermès of Vinegar and I’ll Never Go Back

‘Hermes of Ice Cream: Ice Cream that Won’t Melt Even When Baked with a Blow Torch’

Hermes of Bubble Tea

There’s even a company the New York Times dubbed “the Hermès of Cannabis.” Of course, none of these have any actual relation to Hermès Paris.

Manhattan Mansion with custom Hermès leather walls by DailyMail

Manhattan Mansion with custom Hermès leather walls by DailyMail

One Napa Valley winemaker seemingly goes further. Hermès is not merely a description relaying it is the best product. Rather, it also refers to a strategy:

[Lawrence] Fairchild first launched the Perrarus series in 2019. Each collection, which sells out every year, is available by lottery only and limited to one bottle per member. House of Perrarus is an extension of Stones Wine, both of which share Fairchild’s commitment to be a high-touch organization, modeled to be the Hermés and Louis Vuitton of the global wine industry. In addition to extreme attention to detail necessary to make the best wine in the world, Fairchild’s design efforts to create the most unique and collectable wine presentation in the world, hand-made, hand-pressed labels for Stones and hand-blown glass for the limited-edition Perrarus, all requiring an inordinate number of hours to create.

Napa Valley’s House of Perrarus Unveils New, Limited-Edition $5,000 Collectable Wines with Perrarus 3: The Museum Series

And it’s not just applied to food items. Aston Martin wants to be the Hermès of the car world posits another writer, citing its CEO:

“We seek to position ourselves as the automotive equivalent of Hermes, not as the counterpart of Ferrari.” CEO Andy Palmer explained the change to Bloomberg, referencing the boutique French brand.

Having reached and sustained its perch atop the luxury pinnacle, it all leads us to wonder… what’s the next step for Hermès? Like individuals who have made it to the top, sometimes there’s no way to go but down. And yet, there are no signs of decline even though so few can purchase its items. Or, more likely, that is precisely what sustains it.