Hello from Thierry Studio.
Today, we have prepared a comparison we think you will really appreciate.
When I first planned this post,
I spent a long time considering it.
I kept wondering whether a single article
could truly convey the care we put into our work.
After speaking with many different customers,
we heard that our previous authentic-bag comparisons
had helped them feel confident about buying from us.
Knowing people felt that way
made us both grateful and proud.
Even if only a few customers shared that feedback,
their trust in Thierry Studio
made us want to give something back.
So we invested a substantial amount in this new comparison.
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These are questions we have been asked many times:
“Why haven’t you compared the Kelly with an authentic bag?”
“Is there no comparison because your Kelly differs from the original?”
“Is the Kelly’s quality not as good?”
Let me answer clearly.
Is our Kelly lower in quality?
Absolutely not.
The reason we had not posted a Kelly comparison
was simply that an authentic one is extremely expensive,
and an example with complete boutique documentation was difficult to find.
We thought about this investment for a long time before proceeding.
Let’s begin with proof of the authentic purchase.
<Kelly 25: proof of authenticity>
[Invoice and original receipt]
(We will reveal the color at the end.)
The Kelly is one of Hermès’ signature designs
and one of its most expensive bags.
As with our Birkin comparison,
we wanted a boutique-purchased example with verifiable documentation,
so we searched extensively.
Invoices can be fabricated,
and unfamiliar purchase records can be difficult for customers to verify.
We therefore chose a bag with a verifiable Hermès boutique invoice
and its original receipt.
[Invoice]
Original Hermès boutique invoice
Sold by the boutique in April 2024, with a B date stamp
[Original receipt]
Original boutique price (USD equivalent): approx. US$12,720
We paid approximately US$23,560 on the resale market.
The authentic bags we have compared so far are:
1. Birkin 25
2. Lindy 26
3. Garden Party 30
4. Picotin 18
Including this Kelly,
our spending on authentic bags for these comparisons alone
comes to roughly… US$74,560.
That is how seriously we take this work,
and we hope you can see the effort behind it!
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Now let’s begin the comparison.
[Front view]
Kelly 25 in Étoupe Epsom with gold hardware / Kelly 25 in Gold Epsom with gold hardware
Which one is authentic?
See if you can work it out as we go 🙂
The Kelly’s characteristic trapezoid shape
and the saddle-stitching lines that form part of its design
look so similar that
this photo alone is unlikely to reveal the answer.
[Side view]
From the side, the trapezoid
is also the same on both bags.
Many alternatives on the market
struggle to reproduce the width and height
of this side profile accurately.
The side measures 9.5 cm across
and 18 cm high.
Even authentic examples can vary by a few millimeters,
but they should not differ significantly,
so these dimensions are useful to check.
[Back view]
[Base]
The attachment height of the sangles, the bag’s height,
the trapezoid shape and the positions of the protective feet
all match precisely.
What happens when there is no
side-by-side comparison with an authentic bag,
as we provide at Thierry Studio?
When a product is shown on its own,
an inexperienced buyer may not know
whether the quality is good or poor.
With many products on the market,
placing them beside an authentic bag
reveals differences in the sangle attachment height, overall bag height,
foot positions and other basic details.
These discrepancies are surprisingly common.
The hardware can look so different after seeing an authentic example
that you may no longer feel comfortable carrying the bag.
We are confident in our quality,
which is why we buy authentic examples
and prepare these comparisons for you.
[Handle shape]
It is no exaggeration to say that making the handle
is the most important and difficult part of a Kelly.
The handle-making process
is central to the quality of the finished bag.
We went through considerable trial and error
and invested a great deal of time in getting it right.
Bear in mind that the roundness of the handle
varies quite a bit among recent authentic examples.
Some are more rounded; others are more pointed.
Pay attention to the grain on the handle leather,
the edge-paint details, stitching quality
and thickness of the handle core.
[Handle stitching]
The handle is attached
to the top of the bag like this.
During attachment, the body leather
and handle are not yet fixed together,
so the needle has to pass through exactly the right points.
This is an extremely demanding task.
If the needle misses its intended position,
an entire leather piece may have to be discarded.
Of course, the saddle-stitching details
are equally important 🙂
Here is the view from above.
You can see that both the overall shape
and the handle attachment position match precisely.
[Saddle stitching on the right sangle]
[Saddle stitching on the left sangle]
The stitching on the Gold Kelly 25 looks slightly less refined.
Did that make you think the Gold Epsom Kelly 25 was the replica?
It is time to reveal the answer.
The authentic bag
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is the Gold Kelly on the right.
[Verification that the blind stamp
matches the serial number on the invoice]
BTNXXXXX
Separate photos could be misleading,
so we filmed the authentication check in a single take.
Although the Gold Epsom Kelly 25 with gold hardware is authentic,
its stitching is not perfectly uniform, is it?
That is because each artisan has an individual style
and a different hand-sewing technique.
Since the work is done by hand,
stitching varies among authentic bags.
Less-than-perfect stitching alone
therefore cannot determine authenticity.
(Of course, there is still a basic standard!)
Let’s continue with the other details.
[Front stitching]
[Front-clasp engraving]
To assess the engraving’s position,
use the small rectangular mark
at the far right as your reference.
On a Kelly 25, the right edge of the rectangular opening
should line up vertically with the left edge of the small engraved rectangle.
Engraving position varies by size, year and hardware type.
This guideline is for the 2025 size 25 with gold hardware.
Hardware is where many alternatives
show the greatest difference from the original.
Here are a couple of examples
from other factories for comparison 🙂
Hardware from Factory No. 1
Hardware from Factory No. 2
The first factory’s hardware
does not reproduce the font, lettering size or placement correctly.
Surprisingly, products using this hardware
are sold for around US$750 or more.
Even at that price, the hardware remains inaccurate.
The second factory’s hardware
may look similar at a glance, but the letters are too short vertically,
as if compressed. Using the small rectangle as a reference,
the engraving also sits slightly too far to the right.
Depending on the seller, products with this hardware
cost around US$1,120–2,240.
It is among the better reproductions widely available,
so customers unfamiliar with Thierry Studio
have often felt they had little choice but to pay
those high prices.
Thierry Studio Kelly 25 hardware
Our hardware is precisely reproduced 🙂
[Padlock]
The padlock is also difficult to reproduce.
Look carefully at its
size, shape, color and engraving.
The size, shape and color match exactly.
What about the engraving?
The font, lettering size and the way
the engraving is cut are closely matched.
There is, however, a tiny difference in placement.
The four digits below “HERMES” sit
fractionally lower than on the authentic lock.
The most immediately visible difference
is the keyhole.
As we have discussed before,
does an S-shaped keyhole mean a lock is likely fake?
As you can see, the authentic bag we bought has an S-shaped keyhole.
These are all authentic padlocks.
The position of the lettering underneath,
the number font, the shape of the keyhole,
and whether the number is 101, 162 or 163
can vary even on authentic locks,
depending on production period and the artisan.
[Edge paint]
Edge-paint color naturally
varies with the leather color,
so we will leave color aside
and focus on how it is applied.
There are two main methods:
air drying and heat treatment.
Hermès uses air drying.
It involves repeated coats
and long drying periods,
so it is less common today.
Hermès continues to favor
this traditional, craft-intensive approach.
Each coat dries before the next is applied.
Although time-consuming, it produces a stronger finish
that maintains its quality over the long term.
Despite the multiple coats,
Hermès’ edge finish is not thick.
The coating is thin enough for the leather’s texture
to remain visible, while completely covering
the cut edge—a difficult balance to achieve.
[Logo stamp]
The logo stamps
also look indistinguishable.
The stamp is not applied with heavy pressure.
The artisan uses only enough force to avoid damaging the leather,
while controlling it carefully enough
to leave a clear logo.
[Leather]
Leather is the most important material in the bag.
The leather used here is
Epsom from the HAAS tannery.
In the photos, the grain and surface
look exactly the same, don’t they?
That is because Thierry Studio
uses the same leather
as Hermès.
How do we obtain that leather?
Thierry Studio sources
its hides directly.
We regularly visit the leather market,
selecting and buying hides
in the best possible condition.
That is why, when your bag arrives,
you can expect the same feel
as when receiving an Hermès bag 🙂
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What did you think of our Kelly 25 comparison?
Repeatedly investing this much in side-by-side comparisons
requires real confidence in the quality.
It is not something just anyone can do,
and we do not expect others to match this commitment.
We have photographed and explained the key details
as closely as possible, so you should now
have a clearer basis for judging a Kelly.
You will not find another seller
buying authentic bags and showing every detail
in close-up comparisons as Thierry Studio does.
We are always working hard
to earn your trust,
and we sincerely appreciate your recognition of that effort 🙂
Thank you for reading this long post.
