Which is the highest quality leather (excluding exotics) used in Hermès products?
Rank in order of quality
Rank in order of quality
High End Leather
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Hermes would consider all of its skins are if equally high quality.
There's a reason why different kinds of leather exist. Durability, softness, water resistant etc varies from one another.
None of these necessarily denote “high-end”. Exotics for instance are none of the above. You could just go by pricing if you are looking for a ranking.
My question exclude exotics. Exotic by nature is rare, limited, difficult to source, expertise required to handle such skins to make a handbag by artisans etc and of highest quality.
I don’t think we understand your question then. Do you want the most luxe handfeel? The most durable? The most expensive or rare non-exotic leathers? The answers will be different depending on exactly what you want to know.
My question is well articulated.
This is what I have asked -
Which is the highest quality leather (excluding exotics) used in Hermès products?
Rank in order of quality
thank you
The first three contributors responding to your are not prepared to rank Hermes leathers in terms of quality. Each have inferred that different leathers are best suited to different applications and that in terms of 'quality' they are comparable.
No-one has yet been able to give you the answer you require;
this suggests, that contrary to your assertion, your question is badly articulated and from a semantic position you chose the wrong word.
Perhaps 'prestigious' might better reflect your query.
In that case Box Calf would be high up the list which would contain Peau Porc and also Volynka
In my defence, before I get accused of anything, may I point out that I would normally raise a point like this with a private message.
However the OP brought it into the public forum and challenged other posters.
Clearly your question is not well articulated since you haven't gotten your desired answer. We don't know from what perspective this quality pertains to.
For example, Volynka is the most expensive non-exotic Hermès leather. It raises the bag price by a factor of 1.5 compared to bags made with other leathers. But it's not the most durable. It scratches easily like barenia, creases cannot be easily mended during the making of the bag, and a lot of customers would find new Volynka smell unpleasant.
Togo doesn't easily scratch, probably the toughest leathers Hermès uses, but it's the "cheapest" one (I think). But we cannot really say it's of a lesser quality than Volynka since Volynka only comes in one color, and Togo comes in a variety of colors. Other than croc, it's probably the best leather used by Hermès to showcase bright and vivid colors without looking plasticky.
To sum it up, like one poster has mentioned above, all leathers that Hermès uses are of high quality, and they cannot be ranked because each of them shine in their own way.
Yes, you stated excluding exotics, which suggests that you feel exotics to automatically be “high-end” and “high quality”. Therefore the qualities you suggested (softness, durability, water resistance) do not by definition denote “high-end” or “high quality” leather.
I’d dispute “well articulated”. You asked about both “high-end”, in your title, which implies prestige, and “high quality”, in your post, which simply implies…quality. There’s no clarification of these terms nor reason given for the original question, which is why I suggested sorting by price.
Asking experienced collectors and aficionados to share their specialized knowledge without any specifics is likely to elicit exactly these kinds of clarifying queries. We are generally a helpful bunch, but meeting us at least halfway is more likely to produce the desired result.
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There isn't a "highest quality" leather in Hermès, all their leathers are high quality, it's only about personal preferences: some prefer Togo, others Epsom ecc.....Boxcalf is one of the oldest and most iconic H leathers but a lot of people don't like it because it scratches.
It is my understanding (from experience) that all Hermes leathers are high quality. Hermes is Hermes. It’s not like you’re comparing Hermes Togo leather to Michael Kors leather.
Agree with @WhiteBus
from a layman viewpoint, I read that epsom leather is pressed out of inferior box calf which would indicate box leather is of better quality. Box is certainly extremely expensive purchased new from the boutique
there is a resurgence of love for Barenia, and some believe that smooth Barenia is among the best. Hermes tried to accommodate all tastes by introducing Barenia Faubourg which, IMO, is neither here nor there, no not worth the markup.
before it was discontinued, Vache Liegee was considered very desirable, but I have a VL bag and am somewhat indifferent.
And preference can be mutable, there is a time and place when Epsom would be a better choice for a certain bag and/or for a certain person. Epsom is light, fairly weatherproof and holds its shape. I don't have any Epsom, but I can see its place.
I'm with most that have answered you here, there's no hierarchy. It all depends on the bag, the size, the colour, the purpose, the person and the weather.