There are very few bags that command the same respect as the Hermès Kelly.
Owing its name to Grace Kelly, with a backstory that we will go on to spotlight later in this blog, the Hermès Kelly isn’t just an accessory made with class and quality – it’s a symbol of status and wealth, and one that is increasingly competing with the likes of the Hermès Birkin as a top-tier investment piece.
As we move through this blog, we’re going to be looking at the different features of the Kelly bag that make it stand out on the market, and the selling points that render it an unrivalled investment piece for buyers.
But first, a little more about the history of the Kelly bag…
History of the Kelly Bag
The Hermès Kelly bag was first launched in the 1930s but under a very different name – then termed the Hermès Sac a Dépêches. This bag coincided with Robert Dumas joining the business, a design revolutionary who was keen to cement the status of Hermès as a brand firmly in the luxury market.
To look at the Kelly bag, then the Sac a Dépêches, it’s easy to see which features made this bag popular – something we will look at in the next section of this blog. However, it was not until 1956, when Grace Kelly was pictured carrying one of these bags to conceal a baby bump at the premiere of her latest movie, that the bag really earned its place in the spotlight. It turns out that the previous year, during the filming of her movie To Catch a Thief, Kelly had fallen in love with the bag selected for her character and never parted with it – directly influencing the incredible rise in demand of this stylish but everyday handbag.
Given its fame as a result of Kelly’s influence, the bag was officially renamed in 1977, and has remained a prominent model in the brand’s luxury collection ever since.
There are different sizes available in the Kelly bag, as is the case across most luxury collections. The Hermès Mini Kelly, believe it or not, is one of the most coveted in the collection, despite its compact size, while the larger models are considered staples for travellers and those who like to carry lots of things around with them. There are also two different styles of Hermès Kelly available, termed the Sellier and the Retourne. The Sellier is the more formal of the two with a thicker and more structured material base, while the Kelly Retourne is more relaxed with hidden stitching and rounded edges.
Keep reading for more information about the design and standout features of the Kelly bag across both styles and collections.
The Standout Features of the Hermès Kelly
A front flap sits over the top of the bag and allows the seller or buyer to close it with the ornate hardware, which in the Kelly bag is made from either gold or palladium.
The size and model name of each Kelly bag is denoted by its length from one end to the other, with this length in centimetres directly referenced in the name. For example, the Kelly 25, which is a neat medium size, measures 25 cm in length. The Mini measures just 15 cm, while the Kelly 50 is a larger travel bag.
A top handle and an adjustable shoulder strap sit at the top of the lightly angled shape, known as a trapezoid shape. This essentially means that the bag has a wider base than opening, optimising the interior space while ensuring that the bag sits comfortably on your arm. Finally, the Kelly bag has small feet to protect the base of the bag from the surface, with stitching evident in the Sellier style and hidden in the Retourne.
Why Invest in an Hermès Kelly Bag
To understand the investment potential of an authentic Hermès Kelly bag, you need to understand the business model behind the brand.
Each year, the brand increases its prices somewhere between 5% and 10%. What this means is that a bag purchased when the Kelly was first renamed in the 1950s would today be worth 1,000% more than the amount it was purchased for.
If that doesn’t truly highlight the investment potential of the brand, then nothing will.
Even bags that are released and purchased today, on the modern market, elevate in value as soon as they leave the store or original place of purchase. Hermès bags that are taken to resellers and put to auction often fetch much higher prices than they were originally bought for, as a result of the exceptional demand and the craftsmanship that sees every Kelly bag take around 18 hours of dedicated and intricate handcrafting to bring to life.
Our Top Tips on Buying an Authentic Hermès Bag
Have you ever watched those movies and TV shows that feature characters keen to get their hands on a limited-edition pair of shoes, or an authentic luxury handbag? We’re thinking Sex and the City, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and more in that vein.
Picture for a moment the hunger in the eyes of the buyers, many of whom are all desperate to get their hands on one piece which happens to be available…
Well, when it comes to the luxury goods market, particularly that which surrounds brands like Hermès, this on-screen behaviour is more than a little accurate.
Brands like Hermès are built on a mix of high-quality design and manufacturing, impeccable reputation, and the kind of limited supply that only drives demand higher with each new release.
Which is why, when it comes to buying an authentic Hermès Kelly bag, the most important piece of advice that we can share is to only deal with and buy from reputable resellers that offer an in-store valuation process and thorough evidence to prove authenticity.
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