A design that walked down Hermès' Spring 2023 runway caught the attention of collectors immediately. At first glance it appeared to be something entirely new — a Kelly-derived clutch with soft floating ostrich feathers hanging from the front. At later private showings, feather-free versions gave a full view of the underlying design. It turns out this bag has a documented predecessor.

The original Kelly Élan (early 2000s)

In the early 2000s, Hermès produced a style of Kelly clutch called the Kelly Élan. It preceded the Kelly Pochette, Kelly Longue, and Kelly Cut — making it the original Kelly clutch format in the house's modern history. The Élan was designed with a flat base, 28cm across, and no handle at the top. The sangles attach around the back of the bag, creating a strap to slide your hand through — a rear hand-strap construction that no subsequent Kelly clutch format has used.

The Kelly Élan was produced primarily in Box Calf leather and exotics including shiny crocodile. It rarely surfaces on the secondary market today — its short production window, limited awareness outside serious collectors, and the absence of a handle make it one of the more obscure Kelly formats to have been produced.

Spring 2023: The Folie revival

The Spring 2023 runway design updates the Élan's premise substantially. The rear hand-strap sangles are gone, replaced with a shoulder strap — transforming what was a pure clutch into a genuinely wearable bag. The strap attachment is likely removable and interchangeable, with a mechanism similar to those used on Kelly To Go wallets. The Spring 2023 runway versions were shown with soft floating ostrich feathers hanging from the front — the Folie designation references this feather embellishment. Later showings presented feather-free versions, confirming the underlying bag design works independently of the feather detail.

Other bags shown in the same Spring 2023 presentation included new additions to the collectible Mini Kelly 20 and Picnic Birkin families, Toupee bags with ostrich feathers, a re-edition of the Shadow Kelly Cut in White, and a Kelly Cut with chain-link sangles.