Watch the Making of an Hermès Kelly Bag

Once you see what goes into the creation of a Kelly  — the most complex bag Hermès makes — that two-to-three-year wait list makes a little more sense. Yesterday, at the Festival des Metiers Exhibition at 583 Park Avenue, Hermès artisan Pierre Grosperrin, a fourteen-year veteran of the company, showed The Cut how he puts together one of these solid, buckled beauties. (The handle alone takes four hours and five pieces of leather.)  The bag, which was famously named for Grace Kelly after she held it to shield her pregnancy, has endured every change in trend and is still the ultimate status symbol. Click to watch as he stitches, rolls, cuts, and uses an awl. Don’t forget to check out his monogrammed leather apron — when will Hermès sell those?

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