‘The Hermès Game’: how the luxury house is defying the slowdown

2 Nov 2023

In videos posted to social media, shoppers list products from lipsticks and sandals to chinaware and towels that they have spent thousands of dollars amassing to compete in what they call “the Hermès Game”.

The goal is to be offered the chance to buy one of the French luxury house’s ultra-exclusive Birkin or Kelly handbags, which start at about $10,000 and cannot simply be bought by walking into a shop. To achieve this, brand loyalists seek to endear themselves with sales associates over months or even years by spending small fortunes on less restricted items.

“It’s a girl,” one fan declares as she unwraps a pink Kelly handbag in a TikTok video captioned “When you’ve finally won the Hermès game”. Admiring comments beneath the post include “So happy for you!” and “Story time: tell us how you did it.”

The global economic outlook may look uncertain but the market for Hermès’s top-tier goods remains strong thanks to its premium positioning, classic styling, wealthy client base and tightly controlled production.

The family-controlled company and similarly high-end brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, where cashmere Fair Isle sweaters start from €5,000, have been the standouts in a sector where the pace of growth is slowing as a three-year luxury boom comes to an end.