A Knotty History

The Hermès scarf was first launched in 1937, and subsequently became a firm favorite with icons such as Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly (the latter of which used an Hermès scarf as a sling when she broke her arm). Later, when Jean-Louis Dumas took over Hermès as chairman in 1978, he saw the scarf as key to his modernization of the company. Installing stylists in Hermès stores to show customers the different ways they could wear the scarves, he also launched a new, youth-driven advertising campaign that reinvented the scarf as a luxurious embellishment to a wide range of women’s day-to-day wardrobe. The history of the Hermès scarf is celebrated in a new book from Thames & Hudson, out November 2.