Shebag fully handmade Hermes Constance 19 red(Nov 2025 updated)

Hermès’ “glossy saddle leather” usually refers to one of the most representative glossy, rigid leathers in the family: Box Calf (originally Box Leather). Have you ever seen a Constance 19 bag in Box leather? Yes, purchasing this bag in a Hermès boutique requires VIP membership status, which is why many clients turn to Shebag for top-tier handmade replicas.

However, Box leather is expensive, and the price of the bag is consequently high, but it offers that premium, quintessentially Hermès feel.

Hermès itself does not produce many bags in Box leather, and the leather supply is scarce—it is not mass-supplied. Therefore, Shebag can also only produce a small number of custom pieces. Because demand for this specific leather is niche, European leather traders occasionally release some Box leather into the market. Shebag cannot buy it just anytime; we have recently secured a batch, but stock is low and available only while supplies last. We will reserve some of this leather specifically to meet custom orders from our clients.

Why is Box Calf so expensive? The core reasons are:

Origin & Selection:
- It comes from bull calves raised on farms in Northern and Central Europe.
- The hide is taken when the calf is approximately 6–12 months old.
- The surface is extremely fine and virtually flawless.
- Strict animal welfare and breeding standards are followed.
- Main Supply Regions:
  - France: The heartland of traditional saddle leather.
  - Switzerland/Netherlands/Austria: Calfskin of stable quality with very few defects.
  - Northern Italy: A source for some high-end supply.
- Hermès prioritizes hides with no scars, no insect bites, and even pores. The rejection rate is extremely high.
Tanning Process: Top European Tanneries, Extremely Long Process
- Box Calf uses: Traditional full-grain + Vegetable/Mixed Tanning + Surface Polishing/Setting.
- The tanning cycle can last for weeks or even months.
- It undergoes multiple rounds of hand-finishing and cold-press polishing.
- The required appearance is a mirror-like refinement.
- The Supply Chain is Semi-Closed: Hermès invests in or has deep ties with tanneries. These are often ultra-small-scale tanneries in France and Italy that supply only tiny quantities to Hermès and top-tier leather goods brands, sometimes even using exclusive formulas and processes reserved for Hermès.
- This is a typical “Parallel Vertical Integration” strategy: Farming selection → Tannery binding → Mid-stream processing control → Hermès manufacturing.
Rigorous Grading System: Hermès Internal Standards are Strict
- After entering Hermès, hides are graded again:
  - Grade A+ / A: Used for Kelly Sellier, Birkin Sellier, and other rigid-structure bags.
  - Grade B: Used for small leather goods or inconspicuous areas.
  - Grade C: Returned or scrapped; does not enter the core supply chain.
- Hermès does not permit any “visual defects” on the front of the bag body.
Interaction with “Scarcity Control”
- Because Box Calf is delicate and time-consuming to work with by hand:
  - Very few bags are produced.
  - It is mostly used for Special Orders (SO), limited editions, or classic colors (like Black Box).
- This leads to high resale market prices and strong collectible value.
- It is precisely this scarcity + “Regal Aura” that makes Box Calf one of the symbols of the pinnacle of Hermès aesthetics.
Why is it “Hard to Make & Risky”?
- High-Gloss Surface: Any flaw is magnified.
- Large Cutting Requirements: Demands extremely high integrity of the hide.
- Precise Stitching Required: On rigid leather, if the stitching is even slightly off, the piece is ruined.
- Therefore, the annual production ratio of Box Calf at Hermès is far lower than that of Togo or Epsom. It belongs to the category of Strategic Benchmark Leather, not volume-driving leather.