English text by Selina Lum
Every fashion trend-setter aspires to own a design Hermès handbag. Hermès is undisputedly one of the most royal and resplendent luxury brands in the world. Founded by Thierry Hermès in Paris, France in 1837, it started with the manufacture of high-end harnesses in the early years and has a long history of 180 years. Decades ago, Hermès further enhanced its product range by adding accessories for women, including carrés, or silk scarves, and sacs.
The techniques that for two centuries were used to craft the highest quality saddles are still seen today in the ateliers where Hermès craftsmen and women stitch and sew Birkin and Kelly handbags by hand.
From the outset was fastidious in Thierry Hermès’s devotion to materials, quality and craft. Because of the exquisite craftsmanship, Hermès holds a long-established tradition with every handbag engraved with the manufactured year on the strap of the buckle. Until modern times, Hermès launch limited creative collections every season. The difficulty of hue toning and tie-dyeing varies according to the color complexions and leather. This has led to the extraordinary value of Hermès handbags.
Milan, Italy: A lady wearing a Hermès brown crocodile leather handbag before the Gucci fashion show. Picture from Shutterstock.
Birkin
Paris, France: Hermès Himalaya Birkin – 2019 Fall/Winter Fashion Week in Milan. Picture from Shutterstock.
As a symbol of chicness and abundance, Birkin is named after the French singer Jane Birkin. The initial design sketch of Birkin’s bag was drawn on the back of an airsickness bag on aircraft, where the Chief Designer of Hermès got his inspiration from Jane Birkin. The lovely muse had forgotten to bring her favorite straw tote. It was a sudden “Eureka!” moment for the Chief Designer to design a bag that can pack in things but more aesthetically pleasing than a briefcase. Birkin “wanted something much more boho”, according to Caitlin Donovan, Handbags specialist at Christie’s in New York. The eye of a virtuoso never disappoints. Since its inception, the Birkin has changed little in style or function.
It takes a single expert craftsman up to 40 hours to produce a Birkin bag. The stitch on which the brand’s reputation is based — the saddle — cannot be replicated by a machine; it takes two needles simultaneously passing through the same seam to produce a Birkin correctly. If done correctly, the saddle stitch will never unravel.
Another limited edition – Himalayas Birkin that is worthy of connoisseurs’ admiration . Not referring to a special leather or origin. Himalayas is a unique color scheme, named because the patterns on the crocodile leather vaguely mimic snow laying upon a mountain top. The delicacy presents in Himalayas’s leather, made from a rare white or albino crocodile skin. Generally, crocodile belly skin is used, so a handbag needs about two to three pieces of skin and the texture and color of these leathers must be very similar. The craftsmen with exquisite skills, need to find the most suitable white crocodile skin and spend laborious hours dye into a gradual color.
Haut à Courroies
London, England – 2017. Shoot in studio with black background. Picture from Shutterstock
This is the first bag of the Hermès family, first production line started in 1892. The original use was to put saddles on horseback riding within the royal and noble families in Europe. The bag is squared with much shorter handle, suitable for formal occasions and long-distance trips. Haut à Courroies is the most retro and vintage bag by Hermès. The design sprang from the inspiration of spectacular ancient Roman chariots. The metal buckle and the top lambskin reveal nothing but the classic heritage and legacy.
This bag has witnessed the history of Hermès, and it can be described as the oldest Hermès handbag in history. Fortunately, it has not been extinct. Many fashionistas travel beyond continents to Tokyo’s Shibuya vintage boutiques and the Hermès flagship store in central London to see its enchanting leather patterns and to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship. The craftsmen of Hermès kept the original color and texture of the lambskin leather seamed the pattern of the handbags in one-go. This magnificence and elegance of this Haut à Courroies bag makes it a rare treasure.
Kelly
Milan, Italy: Hermès store with window exhibition of orange Kelly bag and Hermès scarf. Picture from Shutterstock.
Émile-Maurice Hermès was the creative mind behind the first Hermès accessories. After the advent of the automobile, Émile-Maurice diversified the Hermès offerings with an array of products that reflected the changing times. And Kelly is the quintessence of fashion history.
Kelly was originally called the ‘Sac à dépêches’, which was produced in 1935 for Hermès’s wife to carry. The bag would go on to achieve worldwide recognition 20 years later, when in 1956 Princess Grace Kelly used her ‘Sac à dépêches’ to shield her baby bump from the paparazzi. Ever since then, Hermès received so many requests for ‘ The Kelly Bag ’, that it was renamed in honor of the princess.
After a century of craft calibration, kelly gradually meets the needs of modern fashionable women for different occasions. Kelly bags are more low-key and display a more versatile designs and colors. Available in four styles, Kelly bags can pop in business casual outfits and daily street wear without losing its luxurious beauty. The four styles are Kelly Lakis, So Kelly, Kelly Pochette and Kelly Danse. Kelly Pochette is now the most popular Mini Kelly. Although it is light-weighted and small in size, it is sufficient for daily travel, with abundant room for beauty products.
Constance
Milan, Italy: Woman with brown leather Hermès Constance bag before Simonetta Ravizza fashion show. Picture from Shutterstock.
Hermès Constance was originally created in 1959 by in-house designer Catherine Chaillet. Since then, Constance has become a bag loved by many celebrities among the Hermès series. Constance is a simple yet elegant shoulder bag with a long belt that can be double strapped. The attractive ‘H’ logo in the middle demonstrates Hermès brand influence. Tailored to every taste, the logo can be customized using gold hardware, silver hardware, palladium metal or brightly colored enamel.
The Constance bag is a timeless style, reflecting Hermes’ pursuit of impeccable craftsmanship. Each Constance bag is made by a craftsman and takes 14 hours to complete. Many people love its slightly plump and chunky design, seamed perfectly with its sleek sews. Low-key and recognizable; simple yet versatile. Constance bags master the aesthetic design shown in every details.
There is a popular entertainment show called “Matsuko Conference” in Japan. There is a special episode in which introduces a group of affluent ladies in Japan who love collecting Hermès. These ladies look for the rarest Hermes handbags all over the world – bags that only manufactured one or two for each style. The collection value is higher than that of the Himalayas. They are willing to auction 9.5 million yen (approximately 90,000 U.S. dollars) Hermès to “call it mine”. With well-educated background and distinctive artistic taste, they value the auctioned Hermès bag as another art collection to their closet. The long-lasting durability of the bag and its superlatively well-crafted designs are believed to be a couture bag investment.
New York City: model handholding black Hermès Birkin. Photographed by Max McGerry.
With the delicate workmanship honed in a century of creation, timeless classics and inheritance like Hermès handbags have endured the perpetual test of history. Traces of passing time wold only make its bags more sophisticated and polished. Quoting from the Swiss watch brand Patek Philippe’s slogan celebrating 20th anniversary of its famous advertising campaign, once uttered:
“You never actually own. You are merely look after it for the next generation.”
For individuals passionate about fashion and art collection, owning a design Hermès bag brings out the undiscovered nobility, elegance and aesthetics of classic fashion in women and men. It also cultivates the appreciation of beauty and finer things in life. That particular one Hermès bag that you fell in love with, is likely to escort you for years. This legacy would ultimately become a testimony to all the great memories and experiences along your life journey, as well as a chronicle of your romance story with fashion.
