J’Adore à Dos!

Backpacks have many associations around the world: youth, travel, adventure and more. All aspects of a fulfilling lifestyle that Hermes strives to support. In 1997 Hermes reimagined their iconic Kelly bag as a backpack, dubbed the Kelly Ado, derived from the term Kelly à Dos which translates directly to Kelly Backpack. Ado translates to Teenager in French, adding to the youthful energy of this new design. The first Kelly Ados were released in two sizes, 20cm and 28cm. 28cm Ados featured a top-handle with Amazone canvas straps, whereas the mini 20cm version was handle-free with all-leather straps. While most Kelly Ados are made using Retourne construction, rare examples of Sellier Kelly Ado from this initial production run do exist. These are typically found in Box leather and are a unique 22cm size, featuring a top-handle and all-leather straps.

Limited Edition Kelly Ados were produced with Vibrato, Denim, Toile canvas and Amazonia rubber. Exotic Kelly Ados have been produced as well. Typically 20cm Ados can be found in Ostrich and shiny crocodile, whereas exotic 28cm Ados are found primarily in matte alligator.

After being discontinued in 2001, the Kelly Ado was reintroduced in 2018 with a new 22cm size. The Kelly Ado II has no top-handle and is found with either canvas or leather straps. It has been produced in a multitude of colors in either Clemence or Evercolor leather. The new Kelly Ado II has also been seen in Matte Alligator, though examples are exceedingly rare.

Hermes also produced the Bolide as a backpack, unsurprisingly called the Bolide Ado. There have also been unconfirmed sightings of a Birkin Ado, although the design was likely a custom one-off. The Kelly Danse can be configured as a backpack, one of six configurations for the versatile pouch. Though the backpack is probably the least common way of using a Danse.