A bracelet born of an encounter, in the late 1920s
Cult objects often have singular stories, and that's the case with the
Dog Collar bracelet Hermès. In the 1920s, the grandsons of designer Thierry Hermès took over the reins of the house and set out to take it out of the equestrian world alone. Leather goods, gloves, jewelry, and belts were already part of Hermès creations.
The brand's wealthy customers soon discovered collars specially created for
hunting dogs, made from precious leathers, equipped with bells to protect the animals, decorated with perfectly carinated nails.
In 1926, the founder of a House of haute couture, Marie Gerber, seduced by this exceptional object, had the idea to ask the Hermès brothers to lengthen the collar of her dog to make a belt. The latter complied, and they went even further since, the following year, the dog collar bracelet was born.
A bracelet that has crossed the ages and fashions
A leather support adorned with nail heads with four domed facets - the "Médor nails" - as well as a precious metal ring, the belt and then the bracelet are certainly daring objects for the time. But we are well in the roaring twenties and designers can afford anything! As usual, the
Hermes House is in tune with the times, while retaining its luxury dimension. The designers aren't even looking for an original name for their bracelet, they simply call it
Dog Collar. And that doesn't bother the customers of that time any more than it does today.
The bracelet has indeed gone through the ages and fashions, evolving but not fundamentally changing. It is certainly part of the
iconic jewelry Hermès, and the House itself writes:
"From the imagination of a customer is sometimes born an object that continues to live on in the Hermès collections."
Dog collars are also rings
Both chic and rebellious, the Collier de chien bracelet is indeed a
timeless piece that is worn like a cuff, close to the wrist. It has been declined in many versions, with colors changing with the seasons, silver or gold studs ... One of the most original is undoubtedly the all silver version.
The leathers, too, have evolved and we find in particular alligator bracelets, as well as leather bracelets printed with patterns from the famous silk squares.
But today, the
Hermès Dog Collar collection is no longer just leather bracelets. They are also mini-nail rings in silver 925/1000, rock models two nails, "Espionne" with its three rows ... Collier de chien is even working in
jewelry, with a pink gold ring set with 48 diamonds sold new at a price of 4450 €.
