for my travel Plume, it was very strong and unpleasant in the beginning (a bit like burnt bacon) that's why I didn't carry it as much when it had that smell. but now after almost 2 years of owning it, the smell is just occasional bursts of smoky, woody, masculine leather scent, mostly coming from inside the bag.@periogirl28 - absolutely stunning, and matched your outfit perfectly
Would you say the scent is strong when carried in public?
Volynka Russian Leather
- Thread starter Tony Yang
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There is in fact a story behind this : the floor manager at Sevres told me that she is friend with an employee who was selected to test wear the volynka bolide prototype, and that the prototype had the outside and inside lining in Volynka, not swift like current bags... so this lady went away on a weekend, packed all her clothes inside the brand new, volynka lined, bag, and basically it ruined all her clothes, as everything smelled Volynka from a mile away !
So they changed the lining to swift, made an attempt to let the finished bags rest for a while before packing them so they can loos their smell a little bit, and warned everybody to be extra careful when storing things inside the bag...
But then, the more you use it, the less you can smell it...
Somewhere in Iceland, couple of years ago...
Thank you for this and the amazing pic as well. Yes I agree. Everything in my MK smells of the same scent. My Hermes Calvi, Enveloppe, tissues, even my Chanel lipstick. Oddly I wish it was stronger for my bag.
Great story, thanks for sharing. I wonder if H replenished that employee's ruined clothes.
Sounds like this leather qualifies for "the long game"!
I've never smelled Volynka leather , but my Metta Catherina pouch still smells of bacon after over 200 years under the sea. So I can only imagine the smell of new Volynka
Same here, mine is pretty much settled down aromatically after just over a year. But it's been carried a LOT. DH grabs it as a second carryon item quite a lot.
A nice short snippet on how a Volynka bag helped inspire Christine Nagel's creation of the Hermessence.
www.townandcountrymag.com
The Best Leather Perfumes to Wear Now
What does the bag you wear on your arm have in common with the perfume you spray on the nape of your neck?
Close enough to smell, and yet tooooo far away. I think this is volynka. If not, please delete!
Gorgeous…. And for those who have a piece, congratulations it is so special
Gorgeous…. And for those who have a piece, congratulations it is so special
As they move this HAC around the windows of FSH. 
In April.
In April.Having owned a Volynka bag for close to 2 years now, I felt the need to share my experience with this unique leather. It's remarkable how it has evolved, especially considering it changes more rapidly than other leathers H offers.
First up, let's talk about the patina. Just take a look at the two pictures below. Over time, my Volynka bag has beautifully transformed, embracing a deeper, more lustrous mahogany shade than when I first unboxed it. The dark patches that used to be visible on the skin have become less noticeable because of the darkening. It's truly fascinating to see this change.
Observing the patina's development, it's clear how it significantly enhances the leather's shine over time. A brand-new Volynka has a subtle sheen, yet tends to be more on the matte side. However, as the years go by, a patinated Volynka evolves to gleam almost as brilliantly as boxcalf. And just to note, that glow on the right isn't from a flash—it's natural sunlight streaming in from my window.
Moving on, let's discuss the leather's initial rigidity. Fresh out of the box, the bag felt as stiff as cardboard. But over time and with regular use, its texture has transformed, becoming noticeably suppler and more manageable. The picture below illustrates this well; you can spot a sort of valley in the area that sees the most action—the bag's opening. This unique shape also likely developed from how the bag is carried and the fact that I don’t typically fill it to capacity.
I've realized that if I lay it on its side now and then, it stops that valley from forming. So, I do that every so often.
Since my bag's kinda big and I bring it over to the gym every other day, it's bound to get a few scratches. But hey, I'm not sweating it, as long as it doesn't get permanent holes. Those little scratches? They just add a bit of character and make it scream, Yes, that's my bag!
[This post is dedicated to dear @periogirl28, who adores Volynka as much as I do, if not more
]
First up, let's talk about the patina. Just take a look at the two pictures below. Over time, my Volynka bag has beautifully transformed, embracing a deeper, more lustrous mahogany shade than when I first unboxed it. The dark patches that used to be visible on the skin have become less noticeable because of the darkening. It's truly fascinating to see this change.
Observing the patina's development, it's clear how it significantly enhances the leather's shine over time. A brand-new Volynka has a subtle sheen, yet tends to be more on the matte side. However, as the years go by, a patinated Volynka evolves to gleam almost as brilliantly as boxcalf. And just to note, that glow on the right isn't from a flash—it's natural sunlight streaming in from my window.
Moving on, let's discuss the leather's initial rigidity. Fresh out of the box, the bag felt as stiff as cardboard. But over time and with regular use, its texture has transformed, becoming noticeably suppler and more manageable. The picture below illustrates this well; you can spot a sort of valley in the area that sees the most action—the bag's opening. This unique shape also likely developed from how the bag is carried and the fact that I don’t typically fill it to capacity.
I've realized that if I lay it on its side now and then, it stops that valley from forming. So, I do that every so often.
Since my bag's kinda big and I bring it over to the gym every other day, it's bound to get a few scratches. But hey, I'm not sweating it, as long as it doesn't get permanent holes. Those little scratches? They just add a bit of character and make it scream, Yes, that's my bag!
[This post is dedicated to dear @periogirl28, who adores Volynka as much as I do, if not more
]
Thank you so much for sharing @allanrvj!!!! What an amazing journey your bag is on. I must say, it was gorgeous initially, but the burnishing the bag has experienced makes it just sublime. The color is absolutely wonderful. And the softening of the leather is a good thing in my opinion, it really complements the color in my view. I’m looking forward to the five year update 
yeah that was my prompt in creating my post. I saw the picture, looked at my bag, realized it's definitely not the same color anymore, so I took pics in same locations and lighting to check