How to Read a Leather

Leather tells the truth about a bag before any logo does. Our authenticators begin with grain: how the pattern repeats, how it behaves over a curve, whether it has the irregularity of a hide or the perfection of an embossing plate. Next comes temper — the way a panel resists the hand — followed by edge paint, which should be even, sealed and free of bubbling. Finally, stitch count per centimetre and the angle of the stitch line, both of which are consistent within a house and difficult to replicate at scale. Only once a piece satisfies each of these checks does it enter the maison and appear on this site.