This week, 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi stepped behind the silk curtain of Hermès, the legendary French fashion house.

Hermès was founded in 1837 by its namesake, Thierry Hermes, a master craftsman who produced the highest quality harnesses, bridles and saddles to outfit the horse-drawn carriages of well-heeled Europeans.

Today, you can still purchase a handcrafted, bespoke saddle, as well as ready-to-wear, luggage, fragrances and, of course, the brand’s popular scarves and handbags.

60 Minutes producer Michael Karzis explained that Hermès continues to handcraft one of its most iconic products despite continued demand.

“A handbag is made by a single artisan from start to finish and can take 20 to 30 hours to make,” Karzis told 60 Minutes Overtime.

“It is anathema to the way large companies operate… despite the pressures of speed and compromises on quality to meet this demand.”

Perfection isn’t easy and mistakes happen. If there is a stitch or color variation, the item cannot be sold in a boutique. And when a series of scarves runs out at Hermès, they are removed from the shelves.

“We wanted to know what happened to all the material,” said story producer Karzis.

In 2010, Hermès founded Petit h, a unique workshop where creatives and artisans collect piles of material and discarded items and use them to create new products.

Alfonsi and Karzis visited the Petit H workshop in a Paris suburb to interview them

Director Camille Parenty and artistic director Godefroy de Virieu.

On display is a stunning and colorful array of products: a salt and pepper shaker inspired by a simple button, a music box turned with the hook of a coat, and an electric guitar built around an old saddle rack.

Parenty explained that artists are invited by de Vireiu to spend time among the materials and then create a design for a new product.

“Creation in reverse,” she explained.

In a large room aptly named the “Alibaba Room,” de Virieu pulled a silk scarf from the pile to show Alfonsi a barely noticeable flaw and traced it with his finger.

“That part is no longer used, so we’re going to cut it… but we’re going to keep it. And that is the starting point for something new,” he told Alfonsi.

On the first floor of the workshop, artisans turned the creatives’ designs into reality.

“You see these artisans all tinkering around, trying to create the frame of a mirror out of tiny shards of porcelain,” Karzis said.

The final stop on the tour was the “nursery,” where finished products are stored before being shipped to Hermès stores and customers.

De Virieu showed Alfonsi a stool decorated with colorful mushrooms, a stirrup-inspired indoor swing, and a shopping cart holding a handbag cut in half, none other than the coveted Hermès Birkin.

De Virieu excitedly showed them one final item: a fully functional indoor hammock made from Hermès silk scarves.

“This is really the story of Petit h,” said de Vireiu.

“Look at a piece of material and find a new way to use it…it’s perfect.”

The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger and Scott Rosann.