The Evelyne began as a working bag rather than a fashion piece. Sotheby's credits it to Evelyne Bertrand, then head of Hermès' riding department, who created it in 1978 as a carryall for grooms, made to hold brushes, sponges and other stable tools. The perforated 'H' on the side was meant to face inward, so that air could reach the grooming kit and dry it.
For more than twenty years it stayed an equestrian accessory. In the early 2000s Hermès moved the design to its leather goods division and began selling it as a handbag. Its light weight, unlined interior and crossbody strap made it an easy everyday alternative to the structured Birkin and Kelly, and it is not subject to Hermès' purchase quotas.
The bag has gone through three generations: the Evelyne I had no outside pocket, the Evelyne II added a pocket, and the Evelyne III added an adjustable canvas strap. It is made in five sizes: 16 (TPM), 23 (added in 2025), 29 (PM), 33 (GM) and 40 (TGM). In 2016 Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski introduced the Evelyne Sellier, with an embossed 'H' in place of the perforations and a stiffer construction.