Hermès recently announced the exit of one of its senior and most influential executives – Bali Barret. Barret heads the women’s universe at Hermès and is often referred to as the ‘secret weapon’ behind the brand’s growth and success in the last decade.
Bali Barret began her career as an assistant at Zadig & Voltaire before she launched her own fashion brand in 1999. Her designs, focused on minimalistic clothing, caught the attention of Piere-Alexis Dumas who invited her to do a project for Hermès.
She went on to formally join Hermès in 2003 as Creative Director of the silk department. Her focus was always to ensure the brands freshness and relevance for Millennials and Gen Zs. She recruited several street artists and young talent who brought a fresh perspective to the team. One of her initial and more controversial projects involved the perforation of Hermès’ iconic silk scarves.
Barret was elevated as Creative Directive of the women’s universe at Hermès in 2009. This included leather goods, ready to wear, silks, jewellery and watches, and beauty and fashion accessories. Working quietly behind the scenes, her tenure overlapped with a period of steady and healthy growth for the brand. Hermès’ top line grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 13.7% in the last 10 years.
In a recent interview, Barret stressed on the importance of being unpredictable and innovative. “We are not an old house doing the same thing over and over again,” she said. 17 years of freshness has helped cement Hermès position as the leader of the Luxury World.
We wish her the best for the next phase of her illustrious career.
Photo Courtesy: Liz Collins on Pinterest via Elle.com
- Sudha posted 4 years ago
- last edited 4 years ago
