Hermès lays the first stone of Maroquinerie de Louviers. The brand has begun the construction of its twentieth production site.
Plant is located in Louviers, in the Normandy region of France: 250 people will work there. The laboratory will open its doors in 2022, and the employees who work there will be trained by the company itself.
Maroquinerie de Louviers
The Louviers plant will be the second headquarters of Hermès’ Leather Goods & Saddlery division in Normandy. The beginning of works follows the inauguration of the leather workshop in Val-de-Reuil three years later. Hermès thus reaffirms its link with the French region.
Here it takes advantage of the partnerships started with Louviers employment agency (Pôle emploi), for the recruitment of new craftsmen, as well as with Greta (Group of state educational institutions), Augustin Liceo Boismard (Eure) and Haras national du Pin (Orne), for their training.
The site will also host a saddlery and bridle workshop that will complement the current equestrian line currently located in Paris. Since 2010, Hermès has opened nine leather goods workshops, and has recruited more than 2,500 artisans, now reaching 3,800. In 2021, the brand will inaugurate Maroquinerie de Guyenne (Gironde) and Maroquinerie de Montereau (Seine-et-Marne) while a new laboratory should see the light in 2023 too.
Structure
This new laboratory was born from the redevelopment of an abandoned industrial site near the city center. The plant will produce more energy than it consumes, thanks to the adoption of innovative technologies and materials envisaged by architect Lina Ghotmeh’s project. This structure will be equipped with a triple sawtooth roof that provides the natural and uniform light essential for the work of the craftsmen.
To preserve the biodiversity of the site, most of the trees will be preserved and replanted in the gardens. Belgian landscape architect Erik Dhont also contributed to the project by defining the direction of water.
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