Chèvre Chamkila in SLG - how does it hold up in heavy use?

[Goldenbelle]

Dear all,

I have set my eyes on a beautiful wallet in Chamkila that would go in very heavy, daily use if I decide to get it.

When I touched the leather it felt very delicate, so I am wondering how it would hold up over time. With hold up I mean not loosing shape too much, quick colour loss on corners etc. I do not like to switch my wallets frequently so I would target to use it for about 5 years. Generally, I am fine with changes in the leather (Epsom and related leathers are not for me) but more in the way box changes.

Do you have experiences with this leather in SLGs? Pictures very welcome!

Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊!

 

[Bdbunny]

Hi @Goldenbelle, I only have a chèvre chamkila Bastia that is kept in my purse/tote daily. I don’t pull it out daily though, so it’s probably not representative of the heavy use you are asking about. However, it does get thrown around from purse to purse and I do take it with me on most days. I’ve had it for almost a year and I think it’s held up pretty well. I noticed a tiny indentation on the top but corners are great and overall it looks almost as new. I thought chèvre in general was considered a durable leather so I bet your wallet would hold up well. Sorry, wish I could be more helpful!

 

[Veritybelle]

This is my most-used wallet (chèvre, but not sure if it's chamkila or mysore?). I always carry it in my handbag, never in a pocket. I think I bought it just before the pandemic, so it is perhaps four or five years old. You can see the back shows cc outline imprints (I carry four cards in the internal slots plus one or two others in other sections of the wallet). It has reasonably heavy use (even though I don't often pull out the credit cards because I use Apple Pay mostly) because I regularly access eg club membership cards.

It has softened considerably, the edges and corners have curved and there is some discolouration which isn't well shown because it's hard to capture with an iPhone camera. Overall it is wearing less well than my other H leather SLGs (which are clémence, epsom). For really hard use I think epsom is probably a better choice JMO (I don't find it scratches in my SLGs), but I adore chèvre so I can never resist it and would buy another chèvre wallet in a heartbeat! I'll probably replace it next year when my store has a better selection.

 

[acrowcounted]

This is my most-used wallet (chèvre, but not sure if it's chamkila or mysore?). I always carry it in my handbag, never in a pocket. I think I bought it just before the pandemic, so it is perhaps four or five years old. You can see the back shows cc outline imprints (I carry four cards in the internal slots plus one or two others in other sections of the wallet). It has reasonably heavy use (even though I don't often pull out the credit cards because I use Apple Pay mostly) because I regularly access eg club membership cards.

It has softened considerably, the edges and corners have curved and there is some discolouration which isn't well shown because it's hard to capture with an iPhone camera. Overall it is wearing less well than my other H leather SLGs (which are clémence, epsom). For really hard use I think epsom is probably a better choice JMO (I don't find it scratches in my SLGs), but I adore chèvre so I can never resist it and would buy another chèvre wallet in a heartbeat! I'll probably replace it next year when my store has a better selection.

I have the exact same compact Bearn wallet in Rose Lipstick Mysore chèvre which I use as my daily wallet for the same amount of time and mine looks similar. In my case the corners are bent and the zipped pocket shows an outline of the pocket lining but I don't have the card slot marks simply because I never put more than one card per slot and use a Calvi for all overflow. To me, chèvre is much softer than epsom and much more malleable which makes it more prone to bent corners and imprints. Mine has a couple of small dents from resting against solid objects in my bags, like chapsticks and keychains. My chèvre calvis and bastias have faired equally poorly while their epsom and madame counterparts still look mostly new. And in full honesty I've been too afraid to even use my Chamkila chèvre SLGS as they seem more malleable and glossy/prone to scratches making them the least desirable in terms of practicality, imo.

 

[Goldenbelle]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences… you are describing exactly what I feared with this leather.

So, I will have to decide if the beautiful sheen of the leather and the colour are worth the try… I do so not like the touch of Epsom so this is clearly not for me despite all the factual advantages.

Probably I will have to die one death, so to speak, and get a leather that speaks to me or a leather that is practical. I like the idea of the Calvin for additional cards, although I do just carry a few anyway. Maybe if I could get it in the same colour… mmmhhh. Box would be lovely of course, but chances for a mini wallet in non-black box are rather slim, I guess…

Thanks again for sharing 😊 and your pics too! So helpful!

 

[DrTr]

Dear all,

I have set my eyes on a beautiful wallet in Chamkila that would go in very heavy, daily use if I decide to get it.

When I touched the leather it felt very delicate, so I am wondering how it would hold up over time. With hold up I mean not loosing shape too much, quick colour loss on corners etc. I do not like to switch my wallets frequently so I would target to use it for about 5 years. Generally, I am fine with changes in the leather (Epsom and related leathers are not for me) but more in the way box changes.

Do you have experiences with this leather in SLGs? Pictures very welcome!

Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊!

Hello @Goldenbelle! I thought I would chime in with my experiences. I have had a Vision agenda cover in Mysore in every bag I’ve had since 2013, use it every day, it goes in and out of my bag and has gotten lots of hard wear. Its corners turned in a tiny bit after several years of use, but no corner or resin scratching or wear, and the spine looks great. The leather itself looks beautiful, has developed a gorgeous softness and hand and feels wonderful as I use it, and aside from what I consider tiny indents, there are no scratches and it has a gorgeous sheen. The inside where my calendars go looks pristine. If someone asked me how old it was, I think they would be shocked it was a 10 year old hard use piece. I’m shocked sometimes but I know how H holds up! 🤓 I love that piece. My absolute favorite leather from H is Mysore, and my B in that leather is gorgeous, I love the hand, it holds its shape and is developing more of that gorgeous sheen, and is lighter in weight than my togo bags.

I also have a chamkilla card holder - can’t ever remember it’s name - something like guerseney (i always think of a cow) and I’ve used it quite a bit the last few years and it looks absolutely perfect in mauve sylvestre. It feels quite sturdy to me and it’s gorgeous. If I were you I wouldn’t hesitate, but perhaps the piece of skin your potential wallet came from is more delicate.

For me, the feel and look of the leather is really important, so I would buy a piece I adored and deal with what comes up. Like you, Epsom is a hard no for me in anything (have a silk‘in wallet in Epsom I bought years ago to try Epsom, and really don’t like how it feels or looks - though the color is beautiful). I will not ever buy anything else in it. I wish it weren’t so, as Epsom takes color so well and is great for a structured bag or piece, but I wouldn’t enjoy using or carrying anything in Epsom, it just doesn’t feel or look like or smell like leather to me. I know acrowcounted and others have different experiences than I do - I love tpf as we can find all sorts of thoughts and real life experieces with different things. And Epsom strikes me as a love it or hate it leather from H, the nice thing about H is they have many kinds to choose from.

One final thought - it also depends on how we carry and use our slg’s - as I know you know. My bags all have inserts, primarily from MaiTai, so my slg’s live in bags with a cloth insert and with canvas and leather pochettes. That may reduce my slg wear and tear inside my bags, but my calendar has really been through it, handled multiple times every day and still looks beautiful.

Good luck - your potential wallet sounds absolutely gorgeous!!! H presents us with endless choice (well in theory, finding those choices isn’t always easy!) Let us know what you decide!🌺