Hermès Made a $126 Envelope. The Internet Was Not Amused.
That’s one way to push the envelope.
French fashion label Hermès made tabloid headlines on Wednesday for selling a single-paper envelope that retails for £100 (about $126) in the U.K. Named the A5 Envelope, the 8.26 inch long and 5.82 inch wide keepsake features an inner compartment dressed in the House’s signature orange hue. It also comes wrapped in printed silk, but that didn’t stop the internet from dragging the envelop and its sky-high price on social media.
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Back in November, comedian Benton McClintock trolled a few of Hermès’s home décor offerings on TikTok. He sarcastically commented on the brand’s $1,350 mushroom paperweight, a $7,750 Chromatic Paper Basket, and the A5 Envelope in a video. “I mean, where else is the best place to leave an important message?” he jokes in the video. “Reusable. It’s reusable. You guys, you’re wasting money if you’re not purchasing this.”
Viewers quickly filled the comments section, blasting the envelope. “I wouldn’t pay $13.50 for this,” one commenter wrote. Others piled on, adding “we’re literally just a joke to rich people” and “I took out a second mortgage for the mushroom paper weight.” Indeed, Hermès’s paperweights are known to run up a tab. The brand’s 7.5-inch Samarcande model retails for a whopping $2,950. Described as “a paperweight, iconic of the House” on the brand’s website, it resembles the knight from the Samarcande chess set. This one comes in bronze, but does that make it worth it?
Of course, Hermès is far from alone. Luxury brands have been selling home goods for staggering prices for some time now. Over at Louis Vuitton, leather origami flowers retail for $375. A Gucci cake server, meanwhile, will set you back $590.
In the end, consumers have proven they will pony up the cash to buy fancy items from brands they love. As for the A5 envelope, it’s now available at Hermès in not one but two different sizes. Just make sure to steer clear of the mailbox.
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