Hermès began making saddles and harnesses before it made handbags.
Thierry Hermès founded the company in Paris in 1837 as a harness workshop for European nobility and their carriages. As cars replaced horses, the saddle-maker turned to leather goods. The craftsmanship stayed, but the clientele changed. On the Paris stock exchange, the old harness shop is now worth about €139 billion.
Hermès on Brandseum