Hermès and LVMH 'handbag war' escalates

TheThe luxury French fashion label Hermès prides itself on assisting wealthy people who have run out of gift ideas: Nicolas Sarkozy once gave Barack Obama a €6,000 (£5000) black Hermès golfing bag, the Duke of Windsor ordered a custom-made patent leather wheelbarrow for Wallis Simpson and the Queen was once known to be very fond of the label's gloves. But when it comes to offering itself on a plate to eager tycoons building fashion empires, Hermès is rather more circumspect, reports The Guardian.