Hermès announced a new development in Rhône, France, after expanding its Saint-Junien glove and leather goods facility in Haute Vienne in June. The French luxury brand, known for its iconic bags and silk squares, is extending its ancient textile site in Pierre-Bénite, south of Lyon, which will now span three buildings and include a new printing line.

Holding Textile Hermès (HTH), which was founded in 2001 to unify all of the group’s textile subsidiaries, including garment manufacturing, weaving, engraving, and dyeing, has increased the size of its Pierre-Bénite workshops, which now house printing, textile finishing, and finishing expertise, into three buildings built around patios and connected by an aerial walkway.

The expansion will see the installation of a new printing line, which will be followed by a second line by 2024, ‘in order to continue the industry’s innovation drive and contribute to the development of printing expertise in the ‘Lyon-style’ setting that is emblematic of the House,’ explains the company in a press release, pointing out that Holding Textile Hermès was given the ‘Living Heritage Company’ label in 2022.

The textile division of the Hermès Group employs 950 people, including more than 600 craftspeople, and has its own training facility. As a result of growth in the ‘clothing and accessories’ category, where sales increased 36 per cent at constant exchange rates to € 3.15 billion in 2022, and in its ‘silk and textile’ collections, where sales increased 20 per cent to € 842 million, the business aims to create roughly 120 jobs in the industry between now and 2026.