The Kelly descends from the Haut à Courroies, the large leather bag Hermès sold from 1892 for horsemen to carry their boots and saddle. In the 1930s the house refined that idea into a smaller, structured bag with a trapezoid shape, a flap, two straps and a turn-lock, sold as the Sac à dépêches. It became famous after Grace Kelly, by then Princess of Monaco, was photographed carrying one, and the house later renamed it after her.
Kelly bags are made in Hermès workshops in France. Each is almost entirely made by hand by a single craftsman and takes around 18 to 20 hours. At the end, the bag is stamped so that the artisan and the date of making can be identified. Hermès trains its leather workers for an average of 18 months, and the Kelly sits at the centre of that training because it concentrates so much of the house's know-how.
The Kelly is made in many sizes, leathers and colours. In 2010 Hermès made 32 handbag styles and the Kelly was its best-seller. With the Birkin and the silk carré, it is one of the pieces most closely tied to the house, and on the resale market some examples sell for more than new.