Today, Shebag acquired a brand new, authentic Hermès Constance 19 bag purchased from an Hermès boutique. It features the classic Gold color, white stitching, Epsom leather, and Gold Hardware. As it happens, Shebag’s artisanal workshop is currently replicating this exact bag. Therefore, we used a high-definition camera to capture a set of detailed comparison photos to demonstrate Shebag’s top-tier handmade bag craftsmanship.

In the photos, “ZP” stands for the authentic product (Zhengpin), which is the bag on the right. The bag on the left is Shebag’s replica. The authentic bag on the right has seen some use, resulting in slight wear on the hardware, while the Shebag replica on the left is brand new and unused.

One of the key elements of the Constance 19 is the quality of the Epsom leather. Today, we will deconstruct the Epsom leather supply chain in detail, explaining why Shebag is able to secure top-tier leather from European supply chains.

Hermès’ Epsom leather is not “natural full-grain leather” in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a highly industrialized embossed calfskin with extremely strong process controls. Its supply chain logic differs fundamentally from natural tumbled leathers like Togo or Clemence. The core competitiveness of Epsom lies not in the scarcity of the raw hide, but in stability, consistency, and scalable luxury industrial capabilities.

1. Raw Materials At the raw material level, Epsom uses European calfskin, sourced primarily from France, Germany, and neighboring countries. Hermès has extremely high screening standards for raw hides, but unlike Togo, Epsom relies less on natural grain and texture. Instead, it emphasizes the “physical uniformity” of the raw hide (crust), including thickness, fiber density, ductility, and the controllability of surface defects. Because of this, the scrap rate for Epsom at the raw hide stage is relatively controllable, making it more suitable for standardized processing flows.

2. Tanning and Retanning For tanning, Epsom employs a composite tanning system dominated by chrome tanning, supplemented by Hermès’ proprietary formulas. The goal at this stage is not to maximize softness, but to build a stable, compact, and resilient leather fiber structure, providing a “structural chassis” for the subsequent high-pressure embossing process. The focus of control here is fiber shrinkage rates, fat content ratios, and internal tension balance; otherwise, the leather is prone to grain collapse after embossing or uneven rebound after long-term use.

3. The Embossing Process The most recognizable aspect of Epsom—and its greatest technical barrier—is the embossing craftsmanship. Its fine, regular, and slightly geometric texture is not naturally formed but is created in one go using high-temperature, high-pressure steel molds. Hermès manages embossing molds with extreme strictness; there are clear standards for grain depth, angle, and repetition precision. Errors between different batches of molds are controlled within a minuscule range. This ensures that finished Epsom products produced in different global workshops and different years maintain a high degree of consistency in both vision and touch.

4. Dyeing Craftsmanship Dyeing is another critical control point in the Epsom supply chain. Since embossing occurs after dyeing, the dyes must possess extremely high heat resistance and penetration uniformity to prevent color migration, whitening, or edge distortion during the high-temperature embossing process. Hermès utilizes high-saturation, ultra-stable color systems for Epsom, making it the ideal carrier for light and bright bag styles (such as Gold, Black, and Milkshake series). This is a major reason why Epsom has been adopted long-term for structural bags like the Birkin and Kelly.

5. Finishing In the post-finishing stage, the surface of Epsom leather typically undergoes a light sealing treatment. However, unlike the “heavy-coating embossed leather” common in the market, Hermès’ sealing layer is extremely thin. The goal is to enhance stain and water resistance without creating a plastic-like surface. This treatment ensures that Epsom does not easily absorb water or stains during long-term use, and the corners are less prone to rapid fraying.

Supply Chain Summary: From a supply chain perspective, Epsom embodies Hermès’ typical “craftsmanship-led luxury supply chain.” The upstream raw hide is not an absolutely scarce resource, but through owned or deeply bound European tanneries, exclusive embossing molds, internal color systems, and strict process locking, Hermès has effectively turned Epsom into a highly exclusive industrial leather standard that is difficult for the outside world to replicate completely. Even among other luxury brands using embossed calfskin, it is hard to reach Epsom’s consistent level of texture precision, rebound control, and long-term stability.