The bag called the “Haut à Courroies” was born in 1892 and was the first top handled bag made by Hermes.It was a tall and sturdy bag with a folded leather flap, designed to carry and store riding boots and harness.
With the arrival of automobile,the use of this bag evolved from a saddlebag to a travel bag Today, 120 years later, the Haut a Courroies” is still in Hermes’ catalog and its line and style opened a door on many other iconic Hermes bags.
Then, in the 1930’s, Hermes designed a smaller bag in the same style with flap and side straps in a trapezoidal shape.A little later,in the 1950’s,Grace Kelly who was photographed constantly, was seen wearing one of these bags . The popularity of this bag went from Paris to New York, to London, and all over the world becoming the sign “chic a la francaise”. Then in 1977, Hermes named this bag the Kelly Bag and its world tour never stopped since this moment.
Each Kelly bag requires a lot of knowing how from top of the range craftsmen and need 18 and 25 hours to produce .Moreover its 680 hand stitches are realized by only one artisan from the start to the end of its production…
In 1981, Jean Louis Dumas, then Hermès chairman took a plane where he seated next to Jane Birkin a French singer and actress . During their conversation, she evoked the difficulty to find a both multifunctional and elegant bag. It was the beginning of a cooperation between Jane Birkin and Hermes in elaborating the design a roomy carryall bag keeping the HAC’s style with its leather flap top. The Birkin Bag was born…
Kelly and Birkin are seen at the arm of various personalities from Princess to music stars. Always very chic, these bags, thanks to their handcrafted construction and their elegance are coveted by collectors all over the world. On top the pleasure to own one of these luxurious bags, they are also considered as safe investment…