The 7 Steps September
1. CONTEXT
Mindmap
anything you
know about thetopic, including
vocabulary. Do
some research
online to help.

HermèsListening Questions 1

2. QUESTIONS

1. When and where was Hermès founded?
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2. What type of products did the company originally sell?

Read the listening
questions tocheck yourunderstanding.
Look up any new
vocabulary.

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3. What did the fashion house gain exclusive rights to in France?
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4. In what year did Hermès debut its silk scarves?
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5. Who designed the Kelly bag? From whom did it get its name?
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Listening Questions 2

3. LISTEN

1. Who was the original Kelly Bag made for?

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the questions
using full
sentences. Circle
the number oftimes and % you
understood.

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2. How was the bag redesigned in the 1930s?
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3. How did Grace Kelly first encounter the bag?
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4. How did the bag gain popularity after she became Princess of Monaco?

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Listening 1
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Listening 2
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5. When was the bag officially renamed the “Kelly Bag” and what was its value
in 2019?
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Discussion Questions
1. What luxury brands do you like and what gives them their value?
2. What controversies can be associated with luxury brands?

4. CHECK ANSWERS

One of the world’s best known fashion brands is also one of the oldest. Founded in 1837 byThierry Hermès in Paris, France, the company originally produced goods for carriages and then
expanded into saddlery. Its primary clients were European nobles including such notable figures
as the Czar of Russia.

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5. CHECK VOCABULARY
Read thetranscript andcircle any new
vocabulary youfind. Look themup and add themto your list.

MATCH THE SYNONYMS BY DRAWING LINES BELOW:

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focusing on
intonation andpronunciation.

223344557. SHADOWING

223344Permission

Name

Exclusive

Informally

Debut

Popularity

MonikerSole

Traction

Approval

Colloquially

LaunchTRANSCRIPT 2The origin of the Kelly Bag happened more by chance than design. The bag started its life in1923 when it was designed by Émile-Maurice Hermès and Ettore Bugatti for Hermès’ wife. Itwas originally named the Bugatti Bag after the designer. Later in the 1930s, it was redesigned
by Robert Dumas into a more spacious bag for traveling. However, it would still be decades later
before the bag would receive its famous moniker.
In 1954, actress Grace Kelly would be introduced to the bag while working on the set of theAlfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief. Apparently the costume designer for the film ordered thebag in as a prop and Grace Kelly loved the design. The bag would gain global traction a few
years later after Kelly became the Princess of Monaco. During her first pregnancy, Kelly used
the bag to hide her growing belly from the paparazzi. This moment was captured on film andappeared in LIFE magazine.

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without reading
it. Circle how
many times
below.

11

Interestingly, the fashion house was able to gain the first exclusive permission to use zippers
with leather goods in France. This exclusivity led the zipper to be known as the fermeture
Hermèsor or the Hermès fastener. Gradually the company began to expand its product line toinclude products such as gold jackets, jewelry, and sandals. It was in 1937 that the company
debuted one of its most iconic and well-known products, the Hermès silk scarf, originallydesigned by Robert Dumas, who would later go on to lead the company from 1951. Dumas went
on to design another famous Hermès product, the Kelly Bag, named because of its association
with the American starlet and later Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly.
This bag would prove to be one of the most iconic Hermès products of the 20th century, with aninteresting history to match.

6. READ ALOUD

11TRANSCRIPT 1

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Following this, the bag became a global hit and was colloquially known as the “Kelly Bag.” It
was officially renamed this in 1977. In modern times, the bag is still a highly sought-after
designer item and in 2019 was retailing for over US$8,500, depending on the material used.