The Shebag artisanal workshop has produced many Hermès Constance 19 bags in goat skin (Chèvre). Today, we feature the “Dreamy Pink-Purple” (Dreamy Mauve) colorway. This is an exceptionally difficult color to produce, especially when combined with goat skin, as dyeing processes differ significantly across goat skins from different regions. To achieve the exact same color effect as an authentic Hermès bag, one must possess comprehensive research into Hermès’ dyeing craftsmanship.

With 14 years of bag-making experience, Shebag has fully mastered Hermès’ dyeing technology, enabling us to achieve a 1:1 replication.

The Hermès Constance 19 in the “Dreamy Pink-Purple” colorway, superimposed on Chèvre (Goat Skin) material, presents a level of difficulty and complexity significantly higher than common light pinks or neutral colors. This color occupies an extremely narrow spectrum between pink and purple; it must retain the softness and brightness of pink while introducing the cool tone and depth of purple. Furthermore, the natural fiber structure and surface characteristics of Chèvre leather magnify any microscopic deviation into a visible color difference. Therefore, this combination is regarded as one of the types requiring the highest craftsmanship stability within the Hermès leather color system.

1. The Color Essence First, we must define the essence of “Dreamy Pink-Purple” at the color level. It is not a single purple, nor a simple mix of pink and blue. It is a high-brightness, low-saturation, cool-toned pink-purple spectrum situated at the tension balance point between red and blue directions. It cannot veer red, or it will be visually categorized as pink; nor can it veer blue, or it will appear grey, cold, or “dead.” This color range has an extremely low tolerance for hue drift, and the naked eye is far more sensitive to deviations in pink-purple than in pink or purple alone. Even a minute change in dye ratio causes significant differences under varying lighting conditions.

2. The Specificity of Chèvre (Goat Skin) The unique nature of goat skin in this colorway is the core source of the difficulty. The Chèvre used by Hermès features fine, dense fibers, low natural oil content, and relatively uniform but small pores. The direct result of this structure is that dye enters the fibers slowly and shallowly, tending to stay on the surface. Compared to calfskin, goat skin has a more “linear” response to dye concentration changes but demands higher uniformity in dye distribution and bath stability. If one area absorbs color slightly faster or slower, the difference is clearly visible because Chèvre’s surface texture is fine and reflects light uniformly, lacking the natural roughness that could hide color discrepancies.

3. Crust (Raw Hide) Control At the crust stage, Hermès exercises extremely strict control over Dreamy Pink-Purple Chèvre. The crusts used typically come from the same tannery and the same tanning formula system, and are completed within the same drum batch as much as possible. Since goat skins are smaller, fiber density differences between different parts are more obvious than in cowhide. Therefore, during selection, mixing the spine section with the edge/belly section on the same main panel of a bag is strictly avoided. Before dyeing, the crust undergoes rigorous base color screening; any hide that is yellowish, greyish, or has natural stains is rejected, as these base deviations cannot be corrected by subsequent processes in a light pink-purple.

4. The Dyeing System The dyeing stage is the critical link for color control. This color is never achieved with a single purple or pink dye but relies on a multi-dye, ultra-low ratio compounding system. Typically, a very low concentration red-system dye establishes the pink base, followed by a trace amount of blue or purple dye to “cool” the hue, supplemented by neutral adjustment dyes to suppress color drift. Because goat skin absorbs color slowly, pH control in the dye bath is paramount. The electric charge of the dye under different pH conditions directly affects how it binds to the leather fibers. Dreamy Pink-Purple requires the dye to enter the fibers as uniformly and controllably as possible, rather than stacking on the surface to form a “floating purple” or “floating powder” effect. Any fluctuation in pH results in visible hue differences within the same batch.

5. Temperature and Bath Ratio Temperature control is equally decisive. Chèvre fibers are sensitive during the heating process; heating too fast causes the surface to absorb color rapidly while the inner fibers remain untouched, leading to unevenness. Heating too slow can prolong the dye’s suspension time, increasing the risk of local concentration fluctuations. Hermès strictly controls the heating curve, constant temperature duration, and drum rhythm to ensure stable distribution. Bath ratio (liquor ratio) control is also critical; slight changes in liquid volume alter the effective dye concentration per unit of skin, which, in a color like Dreamy Pink-Purple, translates directly into visible differences in depth or warmth.

6. Fixing and Washing The fixing and washing stages determine the long-term stability of the color. Light, cool-toned pink-purples are prone to yellowing or losing transparency over time, usually due to unremoved floating color or chemical residues. Hermès performs a sufficient and gentle washing process to ensure all unbonded dyes are removed. The choice of fixing agent must match the fat-liquoring system. Goat skin is extremely sensitive to fat-liquoring ratios: insufficient fat makes the leather dry and the luster uneven; excessive fat destroys the clarity of the color, making the pink-purple look turbid or grey. Thus, fat-liquoring and fixing must be regulated as a unified system.

7. Surface Finishing In the finishing stage, the difference between Chèvre and other leathers is magnified. Chèvre typically does not rely on heavy coatings, preserving its natural hand-feel and grain. Therefore, the final look of Dreamy Pink-Purple comes more from the base dye than surface coverage. Hermès uses an ultra-thin, low-opacity finishing system to unify the color slightly and control luster, without attempting to “correct” base color deviations with heavy coatings. Any attempt to increase opacity to hide errors destroys the delicate texture of goat skin and makes the color look opaque. Matting control is crucial here: insufficient matting makes the color look garish; excessive matting makes it look grey and lifeless.

8. Structural Amplification (Constance 19) The structural characteristics of the Constance 19 further amplify the difficulty. The front body and flap are large, flat visual areas where the fine grain of goat skin cannot hide uneven color. The flap endures frequent touching and bending, and its luster often changes faster than the body. Even if the initial color is identical, visual separation can occur after use. In the design and assembly phase, Hermès uses panel matching and direction control to ensure fiber direction and absorption performance are consistent across the main panels, mitigating this visual separation over time.