Guillaume de Seynes and I sit on a train speeding its way back towards Paris. De Seynes has just cut the ribbon at the opening of his family-owned company Hermes’s 24th artisanal workshop in France.
“We are sustainable by essence,” he explains. “My grandfather, Robert Dumas, was once asked for his definition of luxury. And he said a luxury object is one that you can repair. It says everything.”
The new leather workshop in L’Isle-d’Espagnac in south-west France, has been built to sustainability gold standards. On the site of a former airfield, the 5,800-square-metre building was designed by Bordeaux firm Guiraud-Manenc using largely local materials: Charente stone cladding, poplar and red cedar framing, earth and straw insulation. A planted roof and 1,800 square metres of solar panels top it off.
It signals Hermes's commitment to Made in France and will eventually house 260 artisans producing small leather goods, as well as Birkin and Kelly bags. “We’ve now reached a more industrial size, with more than 7,000 people involved in making leather goods,” says de Seynes.
Yet, scale hasn’t changed the maison’s backbone: savoir-faire. “We keep the artisanal ways of making things. We stick to the size of the workshops, and don’t go over 300 people, because beyond that it’s not the same family spirit.”
Today’s workshops are open-plan, light-filled spaces where mostly women craft each bag from start to finish. “One man, one bag. It’s now more one woman, one bag, but when I was a child, it was only men.”
Despite the modern aspect of the facility, de Seynes resists any innovation in the production process. “We still believe each piece is made by one person, because this is where the artisanal aspect resides. If not, people would be doing handles or finishing edges all day long. We have decided once and forever we won’t go in that direction.”
That decision lengthens the infamous waiting lists, but also preserves desirability. “Scarcity is not a policy or goal for us. It’s a result of being dedicated to maintaining the highest level of quality. Each bag has a personal mark, so every bag is identifiable.”
Sometimes those marks reappear decades later. “We have stories of artisans now in repair, repairing one of their own bags. Once, my cousin Axel [Dumas, executive chairman] was giving a speech when a woman showed a rare violet crocodile bag to an artisan. The artisan said: ‘I think I made your bag.’ And everybody was crying. My cousin was making his speech, and nobody was listening, because they were all with these two ladies,” he says.
This commitment is formalised through L’Ecole Hermes des savoir-faire, founded in 2021. The 18-month training course, recognised by the French Ministry of Education, ends with a CAP diploma.
“For the first six months, students learn the basic gesture of leatherwork, and in the second are learning a specific model, generally the Kelly bag. For the final six months, they are in the workshop to learn and really catch the exact quality requirements. After 12 months, they have a permanent job.”
Young people are drawn to the promise of long-term careers. “In Paris or Lyon, you’ll find people with 35 or 40 years in the company,” he says.
Walking through the new site, the calm is striking: the smell of wax, the quiet rhythm of tapping hammers, personalised workstations. Quality requirements are strict, but artisans manage their own days.
Hermes’s expansion comes as the luxury sector faces criticism over price hikes and alleged declining quality. But de Seynes is unshaken. “The whole philosophy – that we have continued to transmit and respect generation after generation, even as the size of the company has completely changed – is always the same. First, the obsession for quality; quality of the materials and quality of the know-how.
“Second is freedom of creation. Not marketing, but true creation. Nobody in this company has the title ‘director of marketing’. It doesn’t exist. When we propose our objects, we try to offer the best possible quality. And this has a cost. My grandfather used to say: ‘Hermes objects are not expensive, they are costly.’ And this means a lot. It means that we never set a marketing price [the maximum price a market will tolerate]. We just look at our costs and we add a nice margin. This approach is very deep in our culture.”
Prices reflect hours of work and premium materials. A Kelly bag, for example, uses 36 pieces of leather. One calf skin may yield only two perfect panels. Offcuts are turned into wallets or whimsical objects for the Petit H line. “The best possible leather, the best possible metallic parts, finished by hand, 16 to 18 hours of artisanal work – I think customers know there is a real value to the product,” he says.
Resale values seem to prove him right: Hermes bags consistently outperform rivals at auction. But de Seynes cares more about integrity in production. This pursuit of perfection extends beyond leather. “Hermes has never been about just saving money. For example, we use beautiful cashmere from Nepal, because of the specific way of weaving which is very different from Italy or France, and gives a different personality. It’s not because it’s less expensive.”
Supplier relationships are similarly scrutinised. “We keep things close. We try to have long-term relationships. Some have been with us for 80 years. In silk, I’m working with someone whose father worked with my uncle, and his grandfather with my grandfather. As long as the quality is there, we continue.” Wrongdoing, however, ends partnerships instantly. “We stop immediately. There is no second chance.”
As one of the few remaining family-run fashion houses in an industry of conglomerates, Hermes benefits from continuity at the top. “In the executive committee, we have three cousins. We are really close, and we’ve been raised in the same spirit,” says de Seynes. It is little wonder the spirit of excellence has been intact since 1837.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Honeymoonish
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The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Company%20Profile
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2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
SPEC%20SHEET
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'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,000mm, Winners: Mumayaza, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winners: Sharkh, Pat Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep - Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Gold Cup - Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nibras Passion, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ismail Mohammed
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
More on animal trafficking
more from Janine di Giovanni
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Company%20profile
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'Ashkal'
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Kill%20
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World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
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