A Kelly and a Birkin from the Hermès Archives Enter Hong Kong Saleroom

The moment when Jean Paul Gaultier first brought his singular vision to Hermès remains a landmark in handbag history. On 23 November, Christie's Asia in Hong Kong will offer two pieces that embody that pivotal chapter: a hornback crocodile Retourne Kelly and a leopard-print pony hair Shoulder Birkin, drawn from the collection of Susan Casden, who made Hong Kong her home for sixteen years.

The Kelly, crafted in rich honeyed crocodile, is one of only two known examples from Gaultier's maiden collection for the house. The Birkin, rendered in lustrous leopard print pony hair, is believed to be unique. Both represent not merely acquisition but discovery, the kind that transforms a collector's understanding of what these iconic silhouettes have been and might become.

The Gaultier Legacy at Hermès

When Gaultier took the creative helm at Hermès in 2003, collectors and colleagues alike watched to see how a designer celebrated for architectural audacity and rebellious elegance would engage with a house built on equestrian restraint and timeless proportion. The answer arrived not as rupture but as a refined expansion. His vision honoured the codes of Hermès while introducing unexpected materials, proportions and narratives.

The hornback crocodile Retourne Kelly from his first runway exemplifies this balance. The crocodile itself, sourced from the house's exacting standards, carries the warm patina that defines Hermès leather at its finest. The Retourne construction, where the handles are sewn on the inside, renders the silhouette with softness and fluidity. That this design survives in only two known examples speaks to how rarefied Gaultier's experiments truly were, even within the atelier's own archives.

A Singular Birkin in Pony Hair

The leopard-print pony hair Shoulder Birkin from the same collection ventures further still into the realm of the exceptional. Pony hair, with its subtle sheen and distinctive pattern, represents a departure from the leathers and skins that traditionally define the Birkin. In this case, believed to be a singular creation, it captures something of Gaultier's willingness to ask fresh questions of a silhouette that might otherwise have been regarded as immutable.

Both pieces belonged to a collector for whom Hong Kong became a permanent home and, more importantly, a place where her eye for Hermès continued to sharpen. The fourteen years she spent acquiring and living with these bags transformed them from acquisitions into portraits of a particular moment in fashion history.

A Moment for Collectors

Sales of this calibre serve a dual purpose for collectors. They make available pieces rarely glimpsed outside private collections, and they offer the marketplace itself a chance to recalibrate what rarity and historical importance mean when applied to the contemporary handbag. That these pieces have remained in Hong Kong, where Hermès maintains a cultural presence of considerable depth, adds another layer to their story. The city has long been a centre of serious collecting, a place where connoisseurs understand that a handbag is never merely functional but rather a document of a moment, a maker's hand, and a collector's refined taste.

The sale takes place at Christie's Asia in Hong Kong on 23 November, within the Handbags & Accessories session. For collectors of Hermès, or indeed anyone attuned to the intersection of heritage and creative vision, these two pieces represent a rare opportunity to own fragments of the house's most adventurous chapter, frozen in crocodile and pony hair, waiting in the saleroom.

Key Facts

• Sale: Christie's Asia Handbags & Accessories
• Date: 23 November 2026
• Location: Hong Kong
• Lot One: Hermès Retourne Kelly in hornback crocodile, one of two known examples from Jean Paul Gaultier's first collection with the house
• Lot Two: Hermès Shoulder Birkin in leopard-print pony hair, believed to be unique
• Provenance: Collection of Susan Casden

The Simply Luxury View

These handbags belong to a category of collecting that transcends fashion: they document the moment when one of the world's most guarded heritage houses opened itself to a radically different creative perspective. Gaultier's tenure at Hermès, though finite, produced work of lasting significance, particularly when encountered in pieces as refined and unusual as these two.

For collectors accustomed to the predictability of contemporary production, the rarity of these examples serves as a reminder that even mainstream luxury houses once operated with greater fluidity and experimentation. That both pieces have survived in excellent condition, and that they are being offered from a single, discerning collection, elevates their significance beyond mere scarcity into the realm of genuine historical importance.

Official brand website: hermes.com

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Imagery courtesy of Christie's Asia (@christiesasia).