Hermès begins construction of a leather goods workshop east of Angoulême, France

Hermès continues to strengthen its production capacity in France, once again focusing on leather craftsmanship, especially in the southwestern region of France. The luxury house has announced the construction of a new leather goods workshop, which will open in 2025 in Isle-d'Espagnac, located four kilometers from Angoulême, in Charente. It is expected that this site will eventually employ 260 artisans.

This new factory “adds to the southwestern core, which already includes the Montbron leather goods workshop, inaugurated in 2015, the Nontron leather goods workshop and the Saint-Junien leather goods and gloves workshop, all of which have been located in the region for some time.” for twenty-five years,” says the French luxury house in a press release.

These four sites located in close proximity take advantage of the Hermès School of Trades, inaugurated in September 2022 in Marthon, not far from Angoulême. This training center, accredited by National Education, hires two classes of 40 apprentices each year, to train in leather goods and saddlery, cutting and sewing, guaranteeing the transmission of artisanal knowledge and the culture of the house. Therefore, training for the new Isle-d'Espagnac factory has already begun.

The future 5,500 square meter building, which will be built on the site of a former airfield, aspires to carbon neutrality. Designed by the Bordeaux architecture studio Guiraud-Manenc, the building, equipped with photovoltaic panels, will be built using a wooden structure with straw insulation and clad with Charente stones, integrating into the landscape.

In the New Aquitaine region, beyond these four locations, Hermès also operates the Guyenne leather workshop, founded in 2019 in the town of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, north of Bayonne. In addition, the house plans to open another leather goods workshop in France, also in Gironde, in Loupes, about twenty kilometers east of Bordeaux, with an area of ​​6,000 square meters.

In 2023, sales of leather goods and saddlery, the main activity of the group known for its famous Birkin and Kelly bags, increased by 11.8%, reaching 5.5 billion euros on a total turnover of 13.4 billion euros, 16% more than the previous year.