The Hermes Kelly Bag, Deconstructed

Photo via Things Organized Neatly

Ever wonder what a Hermes Kelly looks like before it is put together? I hadn’t given much thought to the question, but Jeroen van Rooijen clearly has; he deconstructed the iconic bag for his book Zerlegt. What struck me the most is what’s not in the photo – the Kelly has no fussy linings, zippers or unnecessary elements of any kind. The beauty of the design is in its simplicity.

At first I was surprised by the lack of materials needed to create the Kelly, but upon further thought it reminds me of “clean” eating: the best healthy meals have the purest ingredients and keep out all of the add-ons. This is what Hermes does, but with handbags; the company focuses on using smart design and the best materials instead of choosing quantity of quality. Now we know that for a fact, because someone has taken apart an $8,000 bag to satisfy our collective curiosity.