Hermès Sets Date for First Haute Couture Runway Show in 2027

PARIS — Hermès’ eagerly awaited haute couture line finally has a launch date. 

The French luxury house revealed Thursday that Nadège Vanhée, artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear, will present her first made-to-measure collection during Paris Couture Week in January.

The brief statement, shared exclusively with WWD, provided no additional details about what is expected to be a highlight of the spring 2027 haute couture season, given Vanhée’s technical expertise with exclusive materials like leather, silk and cashmere. It will mark her first foray into couture.

Hermès unveiled plans to enter the category last year and has since beefed up its studios with a dedicated atelier. According to sources, recent hires include French designer Léa Peckre, who was previously design director of women’s ready-to-wear at Céline.

Speaking at the company’s annual results presentation in February, Hermès chief executive officer Axel Dumas said work on the collection was underway. “What I saw was superb. I’m really quite excited, and I’m very proud of what the teams have done,” he said. 

The maker of Birkin bags and silk scarves has long relied on its leather goods business as its primary growth driver, with tight supply underpinning premium pricing power and exclusivity. But that model may be showing its limits in a slower-growth environment.

The move to upgrade its fashion offering with a made-to-order component comes as Hermès, previously immune to market turbulence, is starting to feel the impact of a prolonged slump in luxury spending. The company’s share price has fallen by more than 25 percent since the start of the year.

Sales rose 6 percent at constant currency in the first quarter, making Hermès the strongest performer among its luxury peers, but missing analysts’ forecasts. Nonetheless, Dumas told the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in April he was “very happy” with the result.

“The reality is that luxury demand is not particularly strong these days,” said Bernstein analyst Luca Solca, pointing to a combination of weakening Chinese consumption and geopolitical disruption that is testing the sector’s long-held assumptions.

For Hermès, he added, the challenge could soon be more structural. “We may be getting closer to a time when they need to pull a rabbit out of the hat, when they need to launch something new, when they need to excite consumers again,” Solca said.

In tandem with Vanhée’s couture debut, Grace Wales Bonner will be making her runway debut as creative director of menswear at Hermès next January, ensuring the house kicks off 2027 with a bang.