Hermès Puts New Emphasis on the Herbag Zip, Adds New Versions for Sale Online

Think of it as the Kelly Bag's more casual sister

To the extent that any Hermès handbag can be underrated, I’ve always thought the Hermès Herbag Zip was underrated. It has an immediately recognizable Hermès shape, most similar to the more formal and expensive Kelly Bag, with its gently flared sides and belt-closed top flap. Finally, though, the Herbag is getting the credit it’s due, first with a front-and-center spot in the brand’s Resort 2019 runway show, and now with new availability on the Hermès website.

Unlike the more famous and formal Birkin or Kelly, the Herbag Zip doesn’t usually require a waitlist and comes into stock from time to time on the Hermès website. Its general availability and reasonable (relative to other Hermès products) price make it an ideal option for new Hermès shoppers to grab one of the brand’s day bags in a quintessential Hermès structure without getting too close to the five-figure price point—all of the Herbag Zip options currently available in the US via the brand’s website are priced at $2,550.

The lower price point is because the Herbag Zip is more simple than the Kelly in its details and finishes, but there’s also another big difference: the body of the bag is made of textile instead of leather, and that textile is one of Hermès’s various canvases. (Yes, of course a brand like Hermès has multiple canvas options.) Although the canvas will turn off some shoppers, I think it gives the bag a more casual look that’s a great balance to some of the brand’s more formal, buttoned-up options.

The canvas comes trimmed with a cowhide flap and both a top handle and shoulder strap, which is removable in a unique way: by unscrewing a removing the rod that runs under the bag’s flap, which allows you to remove the strap. (There’s a piece of hardware at the end for easy removal and replacement.) Depending on the version you choose, the leather accents might match the canvas or contrast, but there’s no price difference between those options.

The bag’s interior is just one big, open compartment, unlined and without pockets. The back of the bag, though, offers a pouch pocket that’s a good size for a phone, and it’s trimmed in leather and zips entirely. (Thus the name of the bag.) Currently, the Hermès website offers three Herbag Zip options; check them out below.