Changes at Hermès

GstaadLife has some sad news for those of you who enjoy stopping into the Hermès shop on the Promenade, not only to see the newest collections, but to have a chat with the owner, Maya. Unfortunately, Maya will no longer be running Hermès. You may have noticed that the shop is closed at the moment and when it re-opens it will not only have an all-new look, but a brand new owner as well. As Maya and her husband Karl Krogstad have been involved with Hermès Gstaad since 1981, GstaadLife took the opportunity to interview Maya about this change.

GL: Maya, how did you get connected with Hermès?

Maya: In 1981, a friend told me that Hermès was looking for a manager. I called and arranged an interview and they hired me for the position. At the time, in addition to Hermès we also represented Piaget, Baume & Mercier, as well as a variety of other exclusive lines.

GL: At what point did you become owner of the business?

Maya: In 1985 after we almost tripled the turnover in the shop, Hermès thought it might be beneficial to have a local owner and offered to sell it to us. My husband and I decided to give it a try. We then began our first total renovation and most of the work was done by Karl.

GL: When did you start to exclusively sell Hermès products?

Maya: When buying the Hermès collection in Paris in late 1994 we found it so exceptional that Karl and I decided that we had the opportunity to exclusively represent one of the best lines in the world. In 1995 we did our second total renovation of the shop to best present our product.

GL: How did you manage to make a profit with the short tourist season in Gstaad?

Maya: My knowledge of the taste of my clients who either lived in Gstaad or came for a winter or summer visit helped me a lot, so I knew how to shop at Hermès in Paris. Funnily enough, I eventually had nearly the same turnover in the summer as in the winter. The season in Gstaad is very short and so the merchandise had to be picked very carefully.

GL: Running Hermès in Gstaad you must have some famous buyers and interesting tales; are there any particular memories which stand out?

Maya: I had quite a few famous customers: Julie Andrews, Liz Taylor, George Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger - for him we had to open the shop especially as he wanted to buy a handbag for his wife - Frank and Barbara Sinatra, Roger and Luisa Moore, Tony Curtis, Victoria Principal, Linda Evangelista, Elle McPherson, King Buhmibol of Thailand, King and Queen Constantine of Greece, to name just a few. When Elizabeth Taylor came in she found a fabulous outfit for the presentation in New York of her new perfume ‘White Diamonds’. We had to have a matching white fur hat created to complete the look. This was during the time when I was still was selling other designer clothing. I also had another interesting encounter, when I was still working as the manager of Hermès; one day when opening the shop after my lunch break, staring in the window was Richard Burton dressed all in white. I was so excited to open the shop and let him in that I forgot to turn off the alarm. Needless to say, I never saw Richard Burton in my shop again. Another day, I was working in my office when one of my sales ladies called with a rather frightened voice. Thinking something had happened, I ran to the front where there was an unshaved man, barefoot, dressed in tattered and torn trousers. Luckily, I recognized him as Larry Fortensky, the then husband of Liz Taylor. 

GL: Maya, why did you decide to give up Hermès and what are your feelings about doing so?

Maya: It is Hermès policy to renovate every 10 years. Our contract came up for negotiation we had an extremely difficult decision; either invest several million francs and take on another 10 year obligation, or stop after 25 years. We thought it over for a long time and weighed the pros and cons. Looking back with both a smile and a tear, we said Aloha to Hermès. Now we will finally have time enjoy all that Gstaad has to offer. We love the mountains, skiing, golfing as well as a little time in Arizona.

GL: Any final thoughts?

We would like to thank all of our wonderful clients, friends, and employees for making all these years memorable and prosperous. I was born in Gstaad and it will always be my home and where my heart is.