How an Hermès scarf is made: unique expertise

A process that starts with a pencil stroke

The creation of a scarf is a process that can take up to two years and involves four stages. It all starts with the drawing. The artist meets with the Hermès creative studio to discuss the project, then executes the color mock-up on paper. This single stage can last up to a year.

The creative process begins with a sketch, which may be the work of a collaborator, renowned artists in various fields, or even an unknown talent. Since 2019, Hermès has also been launching the Grand Prix du Carré Hermès to discover new international designers.

Engraving: up to 40 layers per design

Once the design is approved, it is sent to Lyon for engraving. The design is broken down onto transparent sheets on light tables, with each color having its own layer. There can be up to forty layers for a single design.

This engraving stage can last up to nine months. Each layer corresponds to a color, each color to a distinct printing frame. The precision required at this stage determines the final quality of the scarf.

75,000 shades available

The dyes are developed by colorists in their laboratory, nicknamed "the color kitchen" — the place where pigments and shades are selected from a palette of seventy-five thousand colors.

It is this 6-month coloring work that explains why the same motif can exist in different colorways.

The ancestral art of Lyonnaise printing

Artisans print silk with a flat frame, a know-how called "Lyonnaise printing". This technique consists of pulling the silk using a frame and printing it with the help of fine gauze and a squeegee.

Printing is done layer by layer, from the darkest to the lightest color and from the largest to the smallest motifs. The first scarf had thirteen colors and the most sophisticated forty-six.

Silk: 450 kilometers of thread per scarf

Hermès scarves are made from high-quality silk, woven from the cocoons of over 250 mulberry silkworms. This silk is thicker and denser than that used by other luxury brands, giving the scarf a characteristic weight of approximately 63 grams for a 90 cm scarf.

Each scarf is the result of 400 to 600 hours of meticulous work, involving the use of 450 kilometers of silk thread.

The roulotté: 45 minutes by hand for each scarf

The scarves are sent to the Gandit workshops, in Bourgoin-Jallieu in Isère, unique in France and acquired by Hermès in the early 2000s. There, they are cut flat then handed over to about thirty roulotteuses, responsible for rolling the edge of the scarves 15 millimeters from the edge, which they then sew with a final silk thread.

Each scarf requires 45 minutes of work to hand-roll its edges. This precise gesture, passed down from generation to generation, is one of the most recognizable signatures of the Hermès scarf.

Mind-boggling figures

The creation of a scarf requires approximately 140 distinct stages and between 500 to 800 hours of work, and even up to 2,000 hours for certain complex models. Up to forty people can work on the same scarf.

Since 1937, more than 2,000 different screen-printed designs have been published. Approximately 48 scarves are sold every day worldwide.

Innovation: the double-sided scarf

In 2020, a technical innovation, kept secret by Hermès, made it possible to print scarves with a different design and colors on the front and back of the scarf, in a double-sided format. The printing is done via a machine specially designed for the occasion, which took five years to develop.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to make an Hermès scarf? Between 500 and 800 hours of work on average, and up to 2,000 hours for the most complex models. From design to store placement, the process can take up to two years.

How much silk thread does an Hermès scarf contain? Each Hermès scarf requires approximately 450 kilometers of silk thread, derived from mulberry silkworm cocoons.

How many colors can an Hermès scarf contain? Hermès has a color chart of 75,000 colors. The most sophisticated scarf ever produced contained 46 distinct colors, each applied separately by screen printing.

What is "roulottage"? Roulottage is the artisanal technique of hand-hemming the edges of an Hermès scarf. Each hem takes 45 minutes of manual work.

How many Hermès scarves are sold each day? An Hermès scarf is sold every 30 minutes worldwide, which is approximately 48 scarves per day.