Do You Speak Hermès? Terms Every Hermès Girl Should Know

Bag Offer

The two words every Hermès girl (or guy) wants to hear, preferably followed by Mini Kelly.

This is when your SA gives you the opportunity to purchase a bag with Hermès.

Hermès bags can only be purchased with a bag offer, you cannot go into the store and just purchase whatever bag you want.

SA’s choose the bag size, style and colors they offer you.

Bag Stamps

Each Hermès handbag has a date stamp located somewhere discreet on the bag. This date stamp let’s you know which year the bag was made which can be particularly handy when purchasing on the resale market.

If the date stamp on a handbag is a year that a style or color was not made you can confidently know, that bag is a dupe.

Hermès handbags also have a foil stamp on the fronts of the bag to denote various things such as:

• What exotic leather the handbag is made from such as alligator, crocodile, or lizard

• If the bag was custom made, also known as an Hermès HSS

• If the bag was made for a craftsman or employee

Birkin Bait

This is a common term used to refer to items that you will end up purchasing in the pursuit of a quota bag offer, hence why it’s called ‘bait’. This isn’t a term used by Hermès but it’s definitely one you will see on social media.

Like most of the mystery around the brand it’s never been confirmed that certain categories or “bait” give you a better chance at getting a bag offer but, ready to wear, watches, home goods, and fine jewelry seem to be a good place to start (you’re welcome).

CITES

CITES are documents that are provided when you purchase any exotic leather. These documents are important for resale, and transporting the item into or out of the country.

If your exotic leather item is missing the CITES, make sure to contact your SA and obtain the paperwork, then file it away for safekeeping.

Even small items like bag charms should come with CITES paperwork.

GHW/RGHW/PHW

These abbreviations are all related to the hardware color of handbags, shoes, belts and other items at Hermès.

• GHW = Gold Hardware

• RGHW = Rose Gold Hardware

• PHW = Palladium Hardware

Gold and Palladium hardware are colors you will commonly see on handbags. Colors like Rose Gold, and Permabrass (a mix between Gold and Palladium) are less common and typically reserved for HSS bags only.

Himalaya/Himalayan

While most people think of this Birkin when they hear Himalayan it’s not the bag that carries the name, it’s actually the style of the exotic leather.

The crocodile leather on this bag is dyed to resemble the Himalaya mountain range. This Himalayan Crocodile leather can actually be found on items such as wallets, or shoes, not just handbags.

While this bag is often quoted as “the most expensive handbag in the world” it’s actually not. The Sac Bijou Birkin made with 2,000 diamonds and rose gold takes the top spot, priced at $2M.

HSS (Horseshoe Stamp) or SO

The HSS foil stamp is a horseshoe “U” stamp on all Hermès handbags that were a special order or “SO”.

Being given the opportunity to create an HSS bag is a very special experience. It’s basically like Build A Bear - a very expensive one. Clients are able to select the color, style, stitching, and hardware of the handbag.

It’s the only time you actually get to pick what you want - down to every small detail. Typically the only styles available for HSS orders are the Birkin, Kelly, and Constance.

When invited to make a special order bag you will be given certain styles, leathers, and colors to select from. Unfortunately, not everything is fair game.

HSS bags can take 9 months and up to 2 years depending on the style, and leather selected.

It’s important to note they do count as quota bags but only during the year that you actually take them home. So if you place an HSS order in 2023 but the bag does not come until 2024 it will not count towards your 2 bag limit until 2024 when it arrives from Paris.

Prespend

Prespend is referred to as the amount of money or items you must purchase before getting a bag offer.

There is no magic number for how much or which items you have to buy in order to be offered a bag.

Some people report spending well over $20,000 and never getting a Birkin or Kelly offer.

It’s rumored that a 2:1 ratio of prespend to bag price point is a good general idea of what you are going to invest before getting a quota bag offer but that information has not been confirmed by anyone internally at Hermès.

SA - Sales Advisor

Your SA is your ultimate lifeline to receiving bag offers. While they are not the final person to decide whether you are selected for a bag offer or not, they are the ones who will put your name up for selection when bags become available.

You want to build a strong relationship with your SA, message and visit them often and build a purchase history with them only.

Do not shop at multiple locations or online, only shop via your SA.

Quota Bag vs. Non Quota Bag

A quota bag generally refers to a Birkin, Kelly, or Constance. However, depending on your store’s location there are other styles that may be considered a quota bag, such as non-quota bags made from exotic leathers, and limited edition bags.

You may be offered a quota bag more than twice if you have declined a previous offer but you are only able to purchase 2 quota bags per year.

A non-quota bag refers to other style of handbags offered by Hermes such as the Evelyne, Picotin, and Bolide.

There is no limit to the number of non-quota bags you can purchase however you still have to be offered these bags.

No bags sold by Hermes can be purchased without being offered the bag by an SA.