Hermès Leather Guide

What makes Hermès leather goods so unique and covetable? Apart from the house’s unparalleled savoir-faire and impeccable high quality, the leather sort is also unmissable when it comes to Hermès bags. From regular calfskin to exotic leather, each Hermès leather kind has its own distinct characteristics and forms the base for pricing. Labellov picked some of the most popular leather Hermès has to offer:

 

TOGO

Togo is the most common and popular leather kind from Hermès. It is grained, scratch-resistant and smooth to touch. The leather holds its shape relatively, although vertical veining might appear over time but can be easily refurbished.

 

 

CLEMENCE

Taurillon Clemence, or shortened as Clemence, is an extremely durable and relatively heavy leather made of baby bull hide. Very similar to the Togo leather, Clemence has a flatter and wider grain type. It has a slightly slouchy look and is not water-resistant.

 

 

 

EPSOM

Released in 2003, Epsom is an embossed leather sort. It is the most durable and structured leather among all the Hermès calfskin hides. The textured surface is incredibly easy to maintain, ideal for daily use.

 

 

 

SWIFT

The Swift leather has a shimmery fine grain and is silky smooth to touch. Swift has the ability to make colours appear brighter and more vibrant. The Swift leather is rather delicate and therefore sensitive to scratch and moisture.

 

 

EXOTIC 

OSTRICH

Ostrich skin has visible raised pores throughout. A significant feature is that the Ostrich leather changes colour: it darkens over time when in contact with skin and will fade when exposed to light. Further is this polka-dotted skin particularly durable and easy to maintain. 

 

 

 

LIZARD

Made from Nile monitor lizard (Varanus Niloticus) or Salvator lizard (Varanus Salvator), the Lizard skin is one of the brand's most fragile and high maintenance leather and prone to drying out. The scales give it a gorgeous matt or glossy finish. Due to the size of the animals, Lizard skin is more commonly used for small handbags and accessories.

 

ALLIGATOR

Precious and delicate, the Mississippi Alligator skin has a smooth surface and pronounced scales. Only used for small bags due to the size of the leather, Alligator is not water-resistant and is available in matt (Mat) or shiny (Lisse) finish. The Alligator skin is marked by a square stamp next to the logo on the bags

 

CROCODILE NILOTICUS

The Crocodile skin is distinct from the Alligator leather with a visible pore in each cell. The most common crocodile skin by Hermès is Niloticus crocodile (Crocodylus Niloticus), it has large square scales. It is used for the renowned Birkin Himalaya bag and can be recognized by two dots next to the logo.

 

 

 

CROCODILE POROSUS

The Porosus crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus) is the most expensive Hermès exotic skin. It has a symmetrical and balanced pattern. Search for the ^ symbol next to the logo on the bags. Both crocodile skins are sensitive to watermarks.