Kim Kardashian is setting the record straight. Despite viral rumors sweeping social media, sources close to the SKIMS founder confirm she was never turned away by Hermès while trying to purchase a rare handbag for her daughter North West.
The speculation erupted after a former Hermès Beverly Hills boutique employee spoke to journalist Amy Odell’s “Back Row” newsletter, claiming the power couple once tried to buy North a black alligator Mini Kelly bag, and was denied. The insider suggested corporate may have blocked the sale because “they don’t want just anyone photographed in it”.
But according to multiple sources with direct knowledge, the story simply never happened.
TMZ reports that Kardashian has maintained a “very friendly relationship” with the French luxury house for over a decade, but through a single contact in Paris, not through the press office channels described in the newsletter. Sources say she never requested a bag for North, never visited any Hermès store recently, and certainly never got turned down.
Those close to the situation are reportedly “bothered” by the story because it involves a child. One source told TMZ: “They find it very disturbing that anyone would make up stories about a child for clicks” .
Us Weekly has also confirmed independently that Kardashian never attempted to buy her daughter the petite handbag, which features a single top handle, detachable shoulder strap, and the iconic Touret clasp.
If the rumored purchase had happened, it would have joined an already staggering collection. The 12-year-old North has been photographed carrying Hermès since age six, when she stepped out in New York City with a white Birkin estimated at $10,000.
But the real collection belongs to Kim. The Skims mogul owns some of the rarest Hermès bags on the planet, including:
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A Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin, a bag known for setting world auction records, with resale values approaching $500,000
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Multiple Mini Kelly bags in various configurations
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A Jean Paul Gaultier-designed Shoulder Birkin, a collector’s dream
Most sentimentally, she owns a custom Hermès Herbag painted by North herself when the future fashionista was just 16 months old. “Wearing my favorite bag painted by my little North 🎨,” Kardashian captioned the 2014 photo.
The original story gained traction after the anonymous former employee detailed how requests from high-profile clients sometimes require corporate approval. “So you’d call the press office and be like, ‘Hey, so and so wants a handbag.’ And they’d usually say, ‘Cool.’ But for some reason they didn’t want North West to have an alligator Mini Kelly,” the source told Odell.
The Mini Kelly alligator is among the rarest Hermès bags on the market, with resale prices easily exceeding $75,000. The brand is famously protective of its image and selective about who carries its most exclusive pieces, but according to Kardashian’s team, that selectivity never applied to her or her daughter in this scenario.
The reality is simpler than the rumor. Kim Kardashian wasn’t rejected because she never asked. She maintains decades-long relationships with luxury houses built on mutual respect and astronomical spending.
North, meanwhile, continues building her own collection, whether Hermès approves or not.
