HAC 40 — Black Doblis Suede and Crocodile, Gold Hardware

HAC 50 — Denim and Naturelle Vache Liégée, Gold Hardware, 1998

The Hermès Haut à Courroies — the HAC — is the direct ancestor of both the Kelly and the Birkin. Originally produced as a traveling carryall for equestrian saddles and equipment in the early 20th century, it is taller than it is wide, a proportion that distinguishes it immediately from the Birkin's wider, lower silhouette. While the Kelly and the Birkin became the house's most recognized bag families, the HAC remained in production as a quieter offering — fewer units, less visibility, and an outsized appeal to collectors who know its history.

Two HACs recently entered the JaneFinds collection. They share a silhouette and a lineage. Beyond that, they represent opposite ends of the HAC's material and tonal range.

HAC 40 — Black Doblis Suede and Crocodile, Gold Hardware

The HAC 40 is one of the smallest standard HAC configurations and among the most wearable. This example pairs Black Doblis suede — Hermès' velvety, ultra-matte calfskin suede — with a glossy black crocodile center panel. The combination is structurally unusual: Doblis absorbs light while crocodile refracts it, producing a visible tension between the two surfaces that is entirely intentional at this level of production. Both materials in black means the contrast is textural rather than chromatic — quieter and more considered than a two-tone color combination would be.

Doblis suede in any format is rare in the secondary market. Produced in limited numbers even at its peak, pieces in good condition have become increasingly difficult to source. The crocodile center placement is a construction choice that appears on a narrow range of HAC examples from this period and is not a standard configuration. Condition 3 — gently used with slight signs of wear, consistent with a piece of this age and material sensitivity.

HAC 50 — Denim and Naturelle Vache Liégée, Gold Hardware, 1998

The HAC 50 is a traveling bag in the most literal sense. At 19.5" wide, it is a substantial carry-all, and the 1998 B Square stamp places it squarely in the period when Hermès was producing some of its most distinctive material combinations. Denim — canvas with a distinct blue weft — is paired here with Naturelle Vache Liégée, a tanned cowhide with a pronounced natural grain that was a hallmark of late-1990s HAC production and is no longer produced. The Naturelle finish means the leather carries the full natural color variation of the original hide with minimal processing intervention.

The 50cm HAC configuration in any material is rare in the secondary market; in this denim and Vache Liégée combination, it is genuinely uncommon. The condition reflects its history as a working travel bag — Condition 4, with visible signs of use appropriate to the format and age. For a collector focused on Hermès archival production, this is the kind of piece that appears once.

Side-by-side

* HAC 40 stamp year to be confirmed by Jane before publish.