Influential experience

While Pierre-Alexis Dumas and his father were envisioning a store in Beijing, Axel Dumas was beginning his own journey in the city.

In 1995, he started his career at the Beijing office of BNP Paribas and lived in Sanlitun, witnessing firsthand the capital's rapid transformation.

"I was constantly amazed by China's ambition and the intellectual curiosity of the people I worked with. Everyone was thinking about new projects, new ideas — developing rural areas, building new infrastructure," he says.

"I felt the palpable excitement of growth and development. It was a feeling I had never experienced in Europe at the time, where things felt more static. China's intellectual vitality and drive were transformative for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without that experience."

China also played an unexpected role in his personal life. While traveling in the Xizang autonomous region, he met his future wife.

"It's romantic that we lived in the same neighborhood in Paris but never met until we traveled in Xizang," he says.

He believes both he and Hermes share a lasting bond with the country. Since entering the Chinese market, the house has maintained a steady, long-term approach — one he has continued since becoming CEO in 2013.

"Hermes is a company, and we make decisions collectively," he says.

"But I hope that for everyone who works here, it is also a personal human journey. Many members of my executive committee have their own stories with China.

"It's very important that you bring your own personality, your own story to the company because ultimately, what we create through craftsmanship is a human connection between the object and the person.

"The Sanlitun store is an achievement for Hermes, but it also expresses our commitment to China, a country that holds a very important place in our hearts."