Calling owners of Swift/Tadelakt bags

Roo Cambonne

Roo Cambonne

O.G.
Jul 11, 2008
2,425
21
#1
Can any of you swift and/or tadelakt bag owners give an indication on how these leathers differ from the other smooth texture leathers in terms of appearance, stiffness and durability? (I only have SLG in tadelakt, and obviously the durability requirements are quite different from a bag)

A real fan of the look of box, barenia, vache natural and chamonix, but do these newer leathers address some of the more practical issues left wanting by these classics (e.g. rain resistance, feel, and how well they age.)

Many thanks in advance.

TIA
 
#2
my dear coll jst bought a ciel tadelakt sellier kelly, the feel and look diff from my chamonix or box bag. When sa told me it is box. I keep wondering as it is matte looking but yet softer and powdery feel which is unlike my chamonix. gt it confirmed the next day it is tadelakt. It doea hold nicely in a sellier. I also saw jigeS in soliel n ciel in tadelakt, matte look oppose to swift with a slight sheen. Takes colour beautifully. coll show me her bag a few days after using it, light scratches on surface, but nt obvious. Nt sure how it refurbish.
 
#3
I love my swift kelly longue, and to date it has not shown much problem with rain resistance / sign of wear. However, in a kelly longue, it's "smaller" than say in a birkin, so might have to get more input from others as well, HTH!
 
#4
So far my swift Birkin is holding up fine, no scratches. It's a 30 and a little smooshy and has a bit of batwings. Never caught in rain so far as I use the Envirosax to protect it. Bag is 3 years old but I only took it out a few months ago (I know, I am wierd!) Swift has a matte look compared to Box.
 
#5
IRL - fauve tadelakt kelly cut .. not sure if it is refurbishes well either, i imagine minor scratches are imminent w/ use^
.. but this FT/kc has a soft feel(not as soft and shiny as swift) but seemed likely to develop a slight patina w/ use .. this observation solely based on this kelly cut of past year inventory(it wasn't M/year) .. HTH
 
#6
Tadelakt is stiffer than swift. Swift/tadelakt are all about colours. My impression of tadelakt is a little sister to a boxcalf, softer and colours boxcalf don't produce, exist in tadelakt. Swift on the other hand, is all about floppiness, softness and casualness.

Indeed, nothing beats boxcalf, chamonix, barenia & vache natural. Those are the :queen:/:king: of leathers. Tadelakt/swift can aged well, a little babying is needed once in a while. You have to be a fan to commit to them.
 
#7
Tadelakt is very porous. The water mark from one rain drop I didn't see/wipe took 3 days to disappear. It is more scratch resistant than it looks. Need to be careful with corner wear. Don't have swift to compare, sorry.
 
#8
My 30cm Swift Birkin is one of my fav bag! I took it on the plane, had a whole tray of plane food (fork, knife and gravy and all!) fall on it, got caught in a downpour and had my 3-year old DD sit on it and it still looks good!

I find it can resist water etc quite well and i don't have any corner wear at all. So i think it is quite a durable bag.
Here it is after all the trauma it's been through:
BJ.jpg

The only thing i have in tadelakt is a jige. I find that it scratches quite easily. DH spilt a dollop of handcream on it and i was mortified! The spot disappeared after a few days though. Phew. I have a boxcalf bag and i find tadelakt looks more matte than boxcalf.

Here is my tadelakt jige:

jige.jpg


HTH!
 
#9
As a boxcalf devotee, I must admit that I'm not overly fond of the attributes of Swift. I only own a Kelly Longue clutch in this skin. The sheen is lovely and the hand is smooth...but it seems to "smudge" easily and has a bit of a "stretching" quality. I am quite fond of Swift's predecessor, Gulliver...a skin of true beauty and substance, in my opinion!!:flowers::flowers:
 
#10
misssA said:
My 30cm Swift Birkin is one of my fav bag! I took it on the plane, had a whole tray of plane food (fork, knife and gravy and all!) fall on it, got caught in a downpour and had my 3-year old DD sit on it and it still looks good!

I find it can resist water etc quite well and i don't have any corner wear at all. So i think it is quite a durable bag.
Here it is after all the trauma it's been through:
View attachment 1004341

The only thing i have in tadelakt is a jige. I find that it scratches quite easily. DH spilt a dollop of handcream on it and i was mortified! The spot disappeared after a few days though. Phew. I have a boxcalf bag and i find tadelakt looks more matte than boxcalf.

Here is my tadelakt jige:

View attachment 1004342


HTH!
Click to expand...


Wow! I have not had this experience with my swift Birkin. Good to know.
 
#11
Swift can't be refurbished if it's worn. I have a Swift Lindy that I have been using for the past 2 years. That said, I love Swift for all the great reasons mentioned. Especially its ability to repel rain in a light drizzle. Just wipe off. It's for those who want a souple leather.

Give me a sec. I will take a picture of the corner wear on my Lindy. Be prepared, you may not like what you see.
 
#12
3 pictures showing the corner wear on my Lindy. Note: this is the back part of the Lindy that is in constant contact, rubbing against my hip and I often wear denim jeans.
 

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#13
^^^ mrsS - thank you so much for posting. I was shocked to see this kind of wear and the fact that it can not be refurbished has just taken this off my list. I had loved the feel and look of swift but I dont think its for me.

Thanks again!!!
 
#14
toniec said:
^^^ mrsS - thank you so much for posting. I was shocked to see this kind of wear and the fact that it can not be refurbished has just taken this off my list. I had loved the feel and look of swift but I dont think its for me.

Thanks again!!!
Click to expand...

toniec, by posting these pictures, I had not meant to make tpfers swear off Swift. I am pointing out the obvious, which is what can happen.

I think Swift in a clutch and SLG is perfect. So long as there is no constant rubbing, if you know what I mean. I think it is also OK for handheld bags.

The most my craftsman could do was to put back the colour. But the surface is rough as you see it.
 
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