Was able to visit Hermès in the Making in Copenhagen and got to read a bit more about their scarf and bag processes! Also got some great videos of porcelain painting and scarf making!
Share interesting Hermès facts here!
- Thread starter needmoneyforbirkins
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Putting this in a spoiler so non-members cannot view.
I've written about it previously, but I'm kinda sick of non-member bloggers and influencers using my research (sometimes pics) without even changing a word with no credit to me/tPF.
I've written about it previously, but I'm kinda sick of non-member bloggers and influencers using my research (sometimes pics) without even changing a word with no credit to me/tPF.
Joseph Box was a cordwainer (shoemaker) in London that served the British Court mid-19C (the Sly Co was renamed Joseph Box 1862). One of the reasons why so many vintage Hermes bags exists today is because the leather builds a patina that itself protects the leather. A pair of boots from 130 years ago (co later called Box Kinghams) are at the V&A museum in London.
The reason why Hermes can use the trademark name 'Box' in terms of naming/marketing the heritage leather is Box Kinghams was eventually bought by Gundry & Sons (I think 1920s) and then John Lobb in the 1950s, Hermes in turn bought John Lobb in 1976 therefore Hermes now basically own all the companies' archives and 'recipes'. Mitchell, L., & Ward L. (1997) Stepping out: three centuries of shoes, Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing, V&A Museum, London and Corwainers Archive (London Guild)
The reason why Hermes can use the trademark name 'Box' in terms of naming/marketing the heritage leather is Box Kinghams was eventually bought by Gundry & Sons (I think 1920s) and then John Lobb in the 1950s, Hermes in turn bought John Lobb in 1976 therefore Hermes now basically own all the companies' archives and 'recipes'. Mitchell, L., & Ward L. (1997) Stepping out: three centuries of shoes, Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing, V&A Museum, London and Corwainers Archive (London Guild)
Curious how other companies can also use it then? Delvaux has bags labelled as Box calf currently on their website for instance.
I take the R&D-pixie-dust that H serves-up to us with more than a few grains of sand. I'd believe this more about colours for scarves/bags if the colours for every new season weren't so amazingly reminiscent of Pantone COTY combos within their seasonal scarf colour families, seasonal leather colours variations were not so close to every other store on the high-street.
and that John Lobb only calls their Box "Calf"
.
My mind is absolutely blown! (Posting in case it helps others because I couldn’t see it in previously posted shots.)
Also here’s a super helpful link about H leathers that I had bookmarked years ago at a PF member’s suggestion. Apologies for not remembering who it was:
A Guide To H Leathers & Skins
Thank you for starting this thread, @needmoneyforbirkins. This is the perfect thread for me, since I very often go OT waxing poetic about all the Hermès ins-and-outs on other threads--apologies mod team 
.
On contrast stitching-- off the top of my head, I can think of over 20 Hermès colours that use the “white” stitching, excluding SO bags. While the thread may appear white, the thread colour is officially listed as “Naturel” in many of these cases. Some colours with white/Naturel contrast stitching are as follows:
.On contrast stitching-- off the top of my head, I can think of over 20 Hermès colours that use the “white” stitching, excluding SO bags. While the thread may appear white, the thread colour is officially listed as “Naturel” in many of these cases. Some colours with white/Naturel contrast stitching are as follows:
(Organised alphabetically)
Black/Noir*
Bleu Brume
Bleu Indigo*
Bleu Jean
Bleu Thalassa**
Brique
Celeste**
Ciel
Cognac*
Crevette
Étain**
Étoupe
Étrusque
Fauve
Gold
Kiwi**
Lime**
Maïs
Naturel
Noisette*
Rose Tyrien
Rosy
Rouge H*
Sable
Sanguine
Toffee
I have left off some, but I think you get the picture
.
*These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching in certain leathers.
**These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching for certain seasons or collections.
Of course, there are also light-coloured bags with white/Naturel stitching like Argile, Gris Névé, and Craie, though I would not count those as technically being “contrast”.
Black/Noir*
Bleu Brume
Bleu Indigo*
Bleu Jean
Bleu Thalassa**
Brique
Celeste**
Ciel
Cognac*
Crevette
Étain**
Étoupe
Étrusque
Fauve
Gold
Kiwi**
Lime**
Maïs
Naturel
Noisette*
Rose Tyrien
Rosy
Rouge H*
Sable
Sanguine
Toffee
I have left off some, but I think you get the picture
.*These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching in certain leathers.
**These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching for certain seasons or collections.
Of course, there are also light-coloured bags with white/Naturel stitching like Argile, Gris Névé, and Craie, though I would not count those as technically being “contrast”.
Thank you for starting this thread, @needmoneyforbirkins. This is the perfect thread for me, since I very often go OT waxing poetic about all the Hermès ins-and-outs on other threads--apologies mod team
On contrast stitching-- off the top of my head, I can think of over 20 Hermès colours that use the “white” stitching, excluding SO bags. While the thread may appear white, the thread colour is officially listed as “Naturel” in many of these cases. Some colours with white/Naturel contrast stitching are as follows:
(Organised alphabetically)
Black/Noir*
Bleu Brume
Bleu Indigo*
Bleu Jean
Bleu Thalassa**
Brique
Celeste**
Ciel
Cognac*
Crevette
Étain**
Étoupe
Étrusque
Fauve
Gold
Kiwi**
Lime**
Maïs
Naturel
Noisette*
Rose Tyrien
Rosy
Rouge H*
Sable
Sanguine
Toffee
I have left off some, but I think you get the picture
*These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching in certain leathers.
**These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching for certain seasons or collections.
Of course, there are also light-coloured bags with white/Naturel stitching like Argile, Gris Névé, and Craie, though I would not count those as technically being “contrast”.
On a related topic, what about colors where the stitching is not naturel but the color doesn’t match - like Bubblegum and Raisin?
Glad you asked! This is somewhat easier:
Beige* - brown stitching
Havanne** - Beige-Rosé stitching
Raisin** - Acajou stitching
Pink (5P)*** - brown stitching
Vert Anis* - brown stitching
*These colours only have their respective contrast stitching in specific leathers.
**These colours only have their respective contrast stitching for certain seasons or collections.
***5P Pink (2010 colour), not to be confused with Rose Bubblegum (2018 colour for exotics). They have different colour codes— 5P and L4, respectively.
This is not an exhaustive list.
Havanne** - Beige-Rosé stitching
Raisin** - Acajou stitching
Pink (5P)*** - brown stitching
Vert Anis* - brown stitching
*These colours only have their respective contrast stitching in specific leathers.
**These colours only have their respective contrast stitching for certain seasons or collections.
***5P Pink (2010 colour), not to be confused with Rose Bubblegum (2018 colour for exotics). They have different colour codes— 5P and L4, respectively.
This is not an exhaustive list.
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Thank you!
****That’s a good point; thank you for clarifying, as I tend to use them interchangeably. The problem is that we know they are different colors - however, if you’re trying to research anything online it gets complicated!
Does Graphite use Natural stitching or is it a lighter grey for the contrast?Thank you for starting this thread, @needmoneyforbirkins. This is the perfect thread for me, since I very often go OT waxing poetic about all the Hermès ins-and-outs on other threads--apologies mod team
On contrast stitching-- off the top of my head, I can think of over 20 Hermès colours that use the “white” stitching, excluding SO bags. While the thread may appear white, the thread colour is officially listed as “Naturel” in many of these cases. Some colours with white/Naturel contrast stitching are as follows:
(Organised alphabetically)
Black/Noir*
Bleu Brume
Bleu Indigo*
Bleu Jean
Bleu Thalassa**
Brique
Celeste**
Ciel
Cognac*
Crevette
Étain**
Étoupe
Étrusque
Fauve
Gold
Kiwi**
Lime**
Maïs
Naturel
Noisette*
Rose Tyrien
Rosy
Rouge H*
Sable
Sanguine
Toffee
I have left off some, but I think you get the picture
*These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching in certain leathers.
**These colours only have contrast white/Naturel stitching for certain seasons or collections.
Of course, there are also light-coloured bags with white/Naturel stitching like Argile, Gris Névé, and Craie, though I would not count those as technically being “contrast”.
Cheers!Thank you!
****That’s a good point; thank you for clarifying, as I tend to use them interchangeably. The problem is that we know they are different colors - however, if you’re trying to research anything online it gets complicated!
Let's not get OT.
If you unsure about a specific bag/leather/colour, use the ID thread (not this)
If you unsure about a specific bag/leather/colour, use the ID thread (not this)