“It’s like a city here,” says Nadège Vanhee in describing Hermès, where she has been creative director of the women’s ready-to-wear range since 2014. The 16 métiers, or specialties, that make up the house are the arrondissements that comprise this city. Womenswear is just one of them; of which Vanhee is mayor.

Hermès is a company that is decidedly not about star power. It doesn’t have ambassadors or court influencers to wear its goods. Its creative directors work behind the scenes; they aren’t showboats. At Hermès, it’s about the product. This is a company, after all, that started with saddles – and is still considered the world leader in this area – but makes hardly any of its revenue from them. It’s best known for handbags but makes it quite difficult for you to buy one. It eschews efficiency and even innovation. It wants to be known for doing things well – but only in the quietest and most polite ways.