How Hermès Special Orders Work

What is a Hermès special order?

A special order is a Hermès bag made to a client’s own specification rather than taken from a regular seasonal collection. Hermès offers the opportunity at its discretion, usually to long-standing boutique clients, and only during limited order windows. Once an order is placed, production can take many months, and the finished bag is unique to that client’s choices.

What can be customised?

• Silhouette and size: most often the Birkin (25, 30, 35) and the Kelly in Sellier or Retourne construction (20 to 28), with rarer Constance and Bolide orders.
• Leather: Togo, Epsom, Clemence, Swift, Chevre and other leathers available in the order window.
• Exterior and interior colours: two-tone bodies, contrasting straps and a different-coloured lining are the signature of HSS pieces.
• Stitching: tonal or contrast stitching.
• Hardware: gold, palladium, rose gold, permabrass and brushed finishes.

How to identify an HSS bag

Every special order carries a small horseshoe symbol stamped next to the date stamp and craftsman mark. That stamp is what gives HSS bags their name. Our listings state the exact combination, collection year stamp, condition and accompaniments, so you know precisely what you are buying.

Why collectors choose HSS

Because each combination is made in tiny numbers, special orders are some of the rarest and most recognisable Hermès bags. A Rose Sakura Birkin with a Gris Perle interior, or a Craie and Black Kelly, cannot be bought off the shelf. That rarity is why HSS pieces are prized by collectors and often hold their value well.

Buying an HSS bag here

1. Browse the collection by silhouette, size or colour.
2. Review the full specification, condition and photos on each product page.
3. Request the bag with the Request This Special Order button to confirm availability and purchase securely.

Can’t find your combination? Our concierge can search for a specific size, leather, colour and hardware for you.