Hermes bags

Hermes means rarity

It should not be forgotten that vintage, second-hand or pre-owned Kelly or Birkin bags are RARE items.

Even if the second-hand market offers a fairly large amount of Hermes bags, remember that these are the most popular fashion items for counterfeiters (these bags are very sensitive) and many of them have been “refurbished” (not restored) by unscrupulous people who did not know the Hermes leathers and even less the manufacturing techniques specific to the brand.

In summary, even if the second-hand market aims to allow as many people as possible to acquire a Hermes bag (Kelly bag or Birkin bag), keep in mind that Hermes bags are EXCEPTIONAL leather items, always manufactured in small quantities by the French brand.

Brief history of the French brand

Thierry HERMES is the founder of what is considered to be the world’s most prestigious brand. Born in Germany in 1801, he settled in Normandy at the age of 20 and trained as an equestrian saddler and harness-maker. At the age of 36, he opened a store under his own name on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, producing and selling saddles and harnesses he had designed himself.

He achieved international recognition and fame as a result of the Paris Universal Exhibition held in 1878. Thierry HERMES won the second prize amongst seven entrants.

Expertise, traditions and innovations were passed down through each generation. The founder’s grandson and a father of four daughters, Emile HERMES, handed over the reins to Robert DUMAS.

Thanks to Robert DUMAS, one of his sons-in-law, Emile was able to pass on the torch of the family business and ensure its continuity. Robert DUMAS is a major player in the company, known as the creator of the Kelly bag and the designer of the famous Hermes scarf (“carré Hermes” so called in French).

HERMES has remained one of the most creative fashion houses ever since. In 2020, the brand unveiled its latest innovation and technical feat : the double-sided silk scarf. With this, Hermes became the world’s first luxury fashion house to print silk scarves on both sides.

Robert DUMAS, father of the KELLY bag

Robert DUMAS is the son-in-law of Emile HERMES (himself the grandson of Thierry HERMES, the founder). In the 1930s, Robert DUMAS designed a simple, understated women's handbag in a trapezoid shape inspired by one of the brand's designs known as the "haut à courroies", originally intended for carrying riding boots and a horse saddle. (the French word “courroie” means strap and “haut” means a tall shape bag).

The proportions of the bag were modified to fit a woman's wrist, as the bag was designed to be carried in the hand. Launched in 1935, the bag was called the "sac à dépêches pour dames".

The leather bag DUMAS created for HERMES was already a favorite with customers. Two decades later, the bag became a fashion icon thanks to American actress Grace KELLY. The young American movie star had received the bag as a fashion accessory for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film “To Catch a Thief”. She was so taken with the Hermes bag that she kept it after the movie shooting.

In 1956, Grace KELLY married Prince Rainier of Monaco at a fairy tale ceremony followed by millions of viewers. Very quickly pregnant, Princess Grace used her favorite bag to hide her pregnancy from prying photographers. The image of Princess Grace, elegant and refined, with her coat, white gloves, sunglasses and the famous Hermes bag, went around the world.

The women copy the Princess and want to buy a Hermes bag identical to hers. Not knowing the name of the bag, the customers ask «Grace Kelly’s bag». In tribute to the Princess, HERMES officially changed the name of the bag created by Robert DUMAS to the name “Kelly Bag” in 1977.