Volynka Russian Leather
- Thread starter Tony Yang
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I requested volynka pieces in London, at Harrods, Selfridges and NBS. The two first stores didn’t know what I was talking about and at NBS, the largest store, I was told no pieces have yet arrived. I will probably still prefer barenia, but always nice to see new leathers. I just wish it wasn’t embossed...
Found this on FT.com
Compared with the image from H.com
I wish I could see (and smell) this in person. It looks orangey in some pics, and reddish brown in others.
Compared with the image from H.com
I wish I could see (and smell) this in person. It looks orangey in some pics, and reddish brown in others.
That is absolutely beautiful...wonderful rich colour. I will probably never own a Hermes bag...but I have had the luck of finding a carre from the 90s and two from the 50s...so seeing others with their treasures means I can live vicariously thru them.
So in my impatience and curiosity, I bought a Russian Kip penloop notebook from Tanner Bates. My local H store doesn't have any Volynka products yet and I have been considering getting a bag with this leather in the future.
It's kind of difficult to photograph because my phone keeps adding some sort of brightness and I had to adjust. The closest color in daylight is between these two images. So it's more of a brownish dark red with dark spots.
Despite it being embossed, it doesn't feel at all like epsom. Epsom is stiff and a little inflexible, like cardboard, but this one is soft to touch and a little plush--a full hand. I can see how back in the 18th century this is used to upholster chairs; it must've been luxurious and comfortable.
It is also a bit thick, as you can see here:
I don't know how thick H ends up skiving Volynka but Tannery Bates' Russia leather is pretty heavy. I weighed just the leather cover itself and it's about 250 grams ( with dimensions 16.5 (w) x 23 (h) x 2 (d) cm ).
It also smells lovely. I could be about half a meter away from the notebook and I could still smell it. Also, smell sticks to your hands. pretty99 noted elsewhere that it smells something like this and he's spot-on:
Overall, as much as I am impressed with this leather, I am not drawn to having a bag in this leather just yet. My style is more casual-sporty (t-shirt, jeans/joggers, sneakers; biker jacket or down jacket in the colder months) and this leather reminds me of a mature, fine gentleman who wears suits and brogues; one who golfs, enjoys cigars, and drinks bourbon on the rocks.
I'm glad I bought a small sample I could use and touch instead of fully committing to a bag.
It's kind of difficult to photograph because my phone keeps adding some sort of brightness and I had to adjust. The closest color in daylight is between these two images. So it's more of a brownish dark red with dark spots.
Despite it being embossed, it doesn't feel at all like epsom. Epsom is stiff and a little inflexible, like cardboard, but this one is soft to touch and a little plush--a full hand. I can see how back in the 18th century this is used to upholster chairs; it must've been luxurious and comfortable.
It is also a bit thick, as you can see here:
I don't know how thick H ends up skiving Volynka but Tannery Bates' Russia leather is pretty heavy. I weighed just the leather cover itself and it's about 250 grams ( with dimensions 16.5 (w) x 23 (h) x 2 (d) cm ).
It also smells lovely. I could be about half a meter away from the notebook and I could still smell it. Also, smell sticks to your hands. pretty99 noted elsewhere that it smells something like this and he's spot-on:
Overall, as much as I am impressed with this leather, I am not drawn to having a bag in this leather just yet. My style is more casual-sporty (t-shirt, jeans/joggers, sneakers; biker jacket or down jacket in the colder months) and this leather reminds me of a mature, fine gentleman who wears suits and brogues; one who golfs, enjoys cigars, and drinks bourbon on the rocks.
I'm glad I bought a small sample I could use and touch instead of fully committing to a bag.
Thanks for sharing! I personally like it (embossed or not). Love the distressed weathered look and would kill for that plume.
I'm sure this will turn up in a wallet of some form. Then I can get it for DH and occasionally borrow it to sniff!
I think it's beautiful. Is this the tannery that created the H leather...? It was supposed to be situated in the English countryside...
There's an agenda cover/notebook cover planned it seems and three bags...
I don't think we will ever know for certain the 3rd party vendors H uses. They sign a lot of NDAs.
I guess the only clue lies in that blog post where they refer to having developed the tanning process for a French luxury house.
Have any of the other big houses launched a similar leather of late?
Yes. Moynat did it a year earlier than H with something called Imperial Calfskin made by Tanneries Roux (owned by LVMH as well)
"Maison Moynat, which has made unique trunks and travel objects since 1849, is reinventing Russia leather in a contemporary version... Moynat Creative Director Ramesh Nair dreamed of reviving this legend. For this daunting challenge, Moynat worked in collaboration with Tanneries Roux, a tannery belonging to the LVMH Group. Following long and meticulous research, they rediscovered and then updated the original formula. The new version, which Moynat has dubbed “Imperial Calfskin”, has an elegant scent that melds smoke, incense and myrrh. Moynat will unveil a new collection in this exceptional and exclusive leather in 2017, including the iconic Gabrielle handbag."
Sauce
In le monde d'hermès they say it's developed in collaboration with an English tannery which has knowledge of ancient ways of leather making. I guess there's not enough info to draw any final conclusions, but if I had to place my bets...
For people who're interested in the original Russian leather from the shipwreck, which Hermès got some pieces of that were turned into a few bags and SLG, it's still available at george cleverly. I remember seeing an H agenda cover in the 1786 leather at an auction many years ago, I regret not getting it now...
You really are our Encyclopedia Hermeticus! Ever knowledgeable.
That 1786 leather is stunning - I love the irregularity of the grain structure, which, truth be told, is the only thing that is putting me off Volynka. Purely from images it looks 'too' engineered and structured, like Epsom. Now if the texture is very different in hand, we've got a more interesting proposition in my book!