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Actor Ko So-young drew attention during a recent Daiso outing when fans spotted the 7.89 million won ($5,810) Hermès bag she was carrying.
Ko shared footage on her YouTube channel of herself visiting a Daiso store inside Starfield Hanam with her sister-in-law.
She browsed the store in a relaxed outfit — a bright yellow top paired with brown trousers — with a large leather bag in a deep brown and blue colorway slung over one shoulder.
The bag has been identified as the Hermès Neo Double Sens 35 in a two-tone design. Hermès Korea's official website lists the same model at 7.89 million won. The specific caramel-and-bleu tempête colorway Ko wore is currently unavailable for online purchase.
The Neo Double Sens 35 is a rectangular leather shopper bag fitted with long handles.
Unlike Hermès staples such as the Birkin and Kelly, it features almost no visible hardware or locking mechanism on the exterior, and the brand logo is kept deliberately understated. The design centers on the bag's silhouette and the leather itself — in Ko's case, a two-tone combination of brown and blue.
The bag is made from swift calfskin, which Hermès describes as a very supple and fine-grained leather. The name nods to Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels," reflecting the material's similarity to the brand's earlier "Gulliver" calfskin.
Swift leather is known for its relatively fine, smooth grain, which allows colors to appear vivid and saturated. Its flexibility also makes it well suited to bags with a softer, more relaxed drape rather than a rigid structured shape.
Hermès says it uses full-grain leather — minimally processed to preserve the hide's natural texture, including wrinkles and pores. The brand regards the patina and changes in color and texture that develop with use as inherent qualities of the material.
The bag measures 28 centimeters wide, 35 centimeters tall and 9.5 centimeters deep. The long handles allow it to be carried by hand or worn over the shoulder. Each piece is handcrafted in France, and slight variations in dimensions may occur between individual bags.
One of the Neo Double Sens's defining features is its reversible construction: the bag can be turned inside out so either face is worn on the outside.
This lets the owner alternate between two different colors with a single bag. On a high-contrast two-tone model like Ko's, flipping the bag noticeably changes its overall look.
The interior forgoes multiple compartments in favor of one generous open space. At 35 centimeters tall, it offers ample room for everyday essentials such as a wallet, pouch and other items.
Ko wore the bag draped over one shoulder rather than carried by hand as she browsed the store. Despite its luxury price tag, the bag's minimal ornamentation and generous shopper proportions gave it an easy, everyday quality.
Hermès says its leather goods and accessories are crafted by hand by artisans at its production facilities in France. The brand's roots are closely tied to leather: Thierry Hermès founded a harness-making workshop in Paris in 1837, later expanding into travel goods and bags.
Leather goods remain one of Hermès's core product categories today. The brand emphasizes proper care, warning that prolonged exposure to water, intense heat, direct sunlight, excessive humidity or dry conditions can alter the leather's color and shape.
In the fashion industry, large-format bags with generous storage capacity have continued to appear alongside the mini bags that dominated trends for years.
Tote bags and shopper bags that can hold a tablet, pouch, documents and more are prized for their practicality during commutes, shopping trips and travel.
Luxury brands have consistently released large bags built around clean silhouettes and premium leathers, alongside their logo-heavy statement pieces.
The Neo Double Sens 35 Ko carried fits squarely into that category — minimal hardware, a roomy interior and a reversible structure. Paired with her yellow top and brown trousers, the oversized leather shopper completed a casual everyday shopping look.
rainbow@heraldcorp.com
