Based on a woodblock designed by Dumas and printed on Chinese silk, the accessory was an immediate hit. Robert Dumas was also responsible for another one of the brand’s most iconic offerings: the launch of its first silk scarf on the occasion of Hermès’s 100th anniversary in 1937. Each Kelly bag takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce, and its 680 hand stitches owe solely to one Hermès artisan. In 1977, Hermès officially renamed the model for her, and the Kelly bag was born. Because she was photographed constantly, the coverage catapulted her handbag to international popularity. Later, actress Grace Kelly, then engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco, is said to have used one of these bags to conceal her pregnancy during the 1950s. In the 1930s, Robert Dumas (son-in-law to Émile-Maurice Hermès, Thierry’s grandson) designed a smaller, trapezoidal take on the flap bag with a handle and two side straps. Today, 120 years later, the HAC remains in Hermès’s line - and its distinctive flap and clasping straps have laid the groundwork for some of the house’s other iconic bags. As the world made the switch from horse to automobile, the bag adapted, becoming a multifunctional travel satchel instead of a designated saddlebag. A tall bag secured with a folded leather flap (fastened with bridle-inspired straps), it was designed to transport riding boots and a harness. The first top-handled bag ever produced by Hermès was the Haut à courroies, which made its debut in 1892. Gradually, the house extended into accessories and luggage for its riders, and today, in paying homage to its origins, the family-run luxury brand resurfaces horse motifs in everything from clothing and modernist jewelry to pillows and handbags.

In 1837, German-born French entrepreneur Thierry Hermès opened a saddle and harness purveyor in Paris.

For Hermès, what began as a maker of leather equestrian goods for European noblemen would eventually grow into one of the most storied fashion labels in the world.

Style Noir by Constance C.R. White