the Hermès dog collar, from the harness maker

Before Hermès made bags, it made harnesses. The Hermès dog collar still carries that first trade in its buckle, its leather and its stitch. This is a short look at one of them, the Etrivière III, and why it belongs in the edit.

a harness maker's house

The house began in Paris in 1837, when the harness-maker Thierry Hermès opened a workshop on the rue Basse-du-Rempart. His harnesses won an award at the Universal Exhibition of 1867 (Hermès). His son Charles-Émile later moved the workshops to 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where harnesses and saddles were made to measure (Hermès). It is still the house's address (Wikipedia).

Horses gave way to cars, and the house turned to leather goods, silk and the rest. But a dog collar is the nearest thing Hermès makes today to its first object: a strap of leather and metal, made to be pulled on every day.

the etrivière iii, closely

Hermès describes the Etrivière III as inspired by the house's equestrian roots (Hermès). An étrivière is the stirrup leather, the strap that carries a rider's stirrup from the saddle. The collar borrows its buckle.

• leather: natural bridle leather.
• buckle: a stirrup-leather buckle, with a metal loop holding the leather flap.
• ring: a D-ring for the lead.
• medal: a medal on the loop engraved "Hermès Sellier Paris". It can be engraved for personalization; it is 2 cm across for sizes XS/S and 2.5 cm for M/L.
• care: it comes with a 15 ml bottle of leather care oil.

All of this is from the Hermès product page. Hermès lists it at $1,000 in the US, made in France.

why bridle leather

Bridle leather is the leather of tack: bridles, reins, stirrup leathers. Those straps are handled, buckled, rained on and pulled every day, and a collar asks the same of its leather. The care oil in the box tells you how Hermès expects it to be used, looked after for years rather than replaced each season.

The medal is the quiet detail. Engraved with a name, it does the work of a tag without the jangle.

how to buy it

Hermès sells its dog collars, leads, beds and bowls through hermes.com and its own boutiques (Hermès). There is no other new retailer. In the edit, the Etrivière III and three other Hermès pieces are marked "available at hermès" and link straight to the house. wagl is not paid for those links. They are here because the pieces belong in the edit.

Sizing is done at Hermès, by neck measurement. If you are buying it as a gift, the boutique can advise on fit and on engraving the medal.

see the Etrivière III in the edit

see every Hermès piece in the edit

Prices and details checked 8 October 2026 at hermes.com. They may change.