Which actress made Hermès’s Kelly bag famous after carrying it in the 1950s?

Grace Kelly made Hermès’s Kelly bag famous after carrying it in the 1950s.

The bag was originally called the Sac à dépêches, a structured Hermès design created in the 1930s. Its later name came from Grace Kelly, the American actress who became Princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in 1956.

Photographs showed Kelly using the bag to shield her pregnancy from photographers. The image connected the Hermès design with her public identity, and the house officially renamed the bag the Kelly in 1977.

The Kelly is often confused with the Birkin, another Hermès icon. The Kelly is linked to Grace Kelly, while the Birkin was created after a conversation between Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas and actress Jane Birkin. Both are made in multiple sizes and leathers, but they have different histories and silhouettes.