From the Stables
to the Shelf:
The Equestrian Soul of Hermès
How a 19th-century harness maker became the most coveted luxury house in the world — and why every bag still carries that heritage in its stitching, its hardware, and even its name.
There is a reason Hermès hardware feels unlike anything else in luxury. The rings, the fastenings, the padlocks — they are not decorative flourishes. They are, quite literally, saddle fittings. Scaled down, refined, repositioned on leather that was originally designed to hold a horse.
Hermès did not start as a fashion house. It started as a workshop for bridles.
Thierry Hermès founded his atelier in Paris in 1837 as a craftsman of harnesses and riding equipment for European nobility. The house's animating principle remains beautifully simple: "The horse is our first client." As automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages, the Hermès family faced a choice: follow their original client into obsolescence, or follow the material. They followed the leather — and carried the entire vocabulary of equestrian craft directly into the bags that followed.
Some of those bags were adaptations. Some were reinventions. And some were barely changed at all.
"The horse is our first client. The second, the rider."
Jean-Louis Dumas, Hermès Executive ChairmanThe Bags —
Straight from the Stable
These are not bags that loosely reference equestrian culture. Each one has a direct, documented origin in the stable — in the leather, the hardware, the name, or the function. The saddle stitching that runs along every seam is not heritage storytelling. It is the same technique developed to keep a horse from unseating its rider.
Before the Birkin. Before the Kelly. There was this. The Haut à Courroies was Hermès' firstborn — designed to protect and transport saddles and riding boots. Its name translates literally to "high straps," referring to the closure straps that once held a saddle in place. When Jean-Louis Dumas sketched the Birkin on a flight from Paris to London, he drew directly from the HAC's silhouette. The padlock, the clochette, the trapezoid shape — all of it began here. Still produced in limited quantities, the HAC is the rarest and most historically significant bag in the Hermès lineup.
Picotin is an old French word for a measure of oats — the daily ration fed to horses. The bag's bucket silhouette is modelled directly on the open-top feed bags hung from a horse's ears in stables. Introduced in 2002, it is unlined, open-top, and secured with the house's signature Kelly lock. The handles are reinforced with exposed sellier saddle stitching. Perhaps more overtly than any other Hermès bag, the Picotin is evidence of the house's equestrian roots. It does not require a purchase history or waitlist, making it one of the most accessible entry points into Hermès.
In 1978, Evelyne Bertrand, head of Hermès' riding department, created a bag to carry horse grooming equipment — brushes, sponges, tools. The perforated H on the back was ventilation, not branding, designed so wet brushes could dry while the bag was worn. It was sold exclusively through the equestrian department for over two decades before the fashion world noticed it. The bag that is now one of the most popular Hermès crossbodies in existence started life pressed against a rider's side in a stable.
The most explicitly equestrian of Hermès' contemporary designs. Its curves pay homage to the shape of a horse's saddle, and its clasp is modelled after the iconic Verdun half-bit — goldsmiths and saddlers working in alliance, the metal rounded to fit the leather with absolute precision. The name comes from a 17th-century horse riding manual preserved in the Émile Hermès Museum. This is not a bag that loosely references equestrian heritage. It wears it as its entire identity.
Arçon is the French word for the bow of a saddle — the curved front arch that gives a riding saddle its shape. Introduced in 2023, it may be the most literal translation of saddle geometry into a handbag silhouette Hermès has ever produced. The crescent shape, the oversized buckle, the proportions — none of it is metaphor. It is a saddle, scaled down and made to carry.
"Hermès did not adapt its equestrian heritage to make bags. It carried that heritage forward intact — into the name, the stitching, the hardware, and the shape of every piece it makes."
The Closet Editorial — June 2026The Craft —
Why It Still Matters
Hermès remains one of the only luxury houses that still saddle-stitches its bags entirely by hand. Each artisan — called a sellier, the French word for saddler — trains for years before being permitted to work on a finished piece. A bag is assembled by a single artisan from start to finish, who then stamps their personal mark inside.
The thread is linen, pre-waxed for durability. The needles pass through pre-punched holes simultaneously from both sides, creating a cross-stitch that locks even if one thread breaks — exactly as it was designed to work on a saddle under pressure and motion. Every detail must have a purpose. It is an aesthetic of the function, where beauty is never overworked and elegance moves with ease.
When you buy a pre-owned HAC, Picotin, Evelyne, Della Cavalleria, or Arçon through The Closet, you are buying into that lineage. The stitching was made by a sellier trained in the same tradition as the craftsmen who built harnesses in Thierry Hermès's atelier in 1837. That is not marketing. That is craft continuity across nearly two centuries.
Everything You Need
to Know
Frequently asked questions about Hermès equestrian heritage and buying pre-owned at The Closet
Why is Hermès so closely associated with horses?
Hermès was founded in 1837 as a harness and saddlery atelier. Its equestrian heritage directly shaped the techniques, hardware, and structural design still used in every bag produced today. The house's own motto: "The horse is our first client."
What is the HAC and why is it significant?
The Haut à Courroies — "high straps" in French — is the very first bag Hermès ever made, created to carry saddles and riding boots on horseback. It is the direct ancestor of both the Birkin and the Kelly, and remains in limited production today as one of the most collector-coveted pieces in the archive.
Why does the Picotin have that bucket shape?
The Picotin's open bucket shape is modelled directly on the feed bags once hung from horses' ears in stables. Its name is the French word for a measure of oats. The name, the shape, and the open top all trace back to the yard.
What was the Evelyne originally designed for?
The Evelyne was created in 1978 by the head of Hermès' own riding department as a bag for horse groomers to carry brushes, sponges, and tools. The perforated H was ventilation, not branding. It was sold exclusively through the equestrian department for over two decades before crossing over into the handbag range.
What makes the Della Cavalleria equestrian?
Its curves pay homage to the shape of a horse's saddle, and its clasp is modelled after the Verdun half-bit used in equestrian bridles. The name comes from a 17th-century horse riding manual preserved in the Émile Hermès Museum.
What does Arçon mean?
Arçon is the French word for the bow of a saddle — the curved front arch that gives a riding saddle its structure. The bag's crescent shape, oversized buckle, and proportions are a direct translation of saddle geometry into a wearable form.
Does pre-owned Hermès retain the same craftsmanship?
Yes. The techniques used to produce Hermès bags today are essentially unchanged from those used decades ago. Every piece is hand-saddle-stitched by a single sellier and stamped with their personal mark — making pre-owned pieces carry the same standard of construction as new ones.
Are all items at The Closet authentic?
Yes. Every item is 100% authentic, verified using advanced authentication technology and expert evaluation based on brand-specific standards. All purchases come with a lifetime authenticity guarantee. The Closet has been a trusted luxury reseller in the UAE since 2010.
Every piece authenticated. Every Hermès verified before it reaches you.
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