This red Hermès Picotin in Togo leather is an extremely difficult bag to replicate, especially in terms of leather supply chain and dyeing technique. A truly premium red is extremely hard to achieve, requiring both superior raw leather and precise dyeing control.

After years of replication practice, Shebag has summarized valuable experience in this field.

The reason why the Hermès Picotin in red Togo leather is so hard to copy lies in two core elements: the supply chain barrier of Togo leather itself and the highly demanding red dyeing process. Without both, it is impossible to produce the full, mild and luxurious true red seen in authentic boutiques.

The source supply chain of Togo leather is strictly limited to the neck hides of young bulls from specific ranches in Africa. It has extremely high standards for breeding environment, animal welfare and surface defects. Most ranches are long-term exclusive partners, and the hides are not circulated on the open market.

The crust leather must feature tight fibers, natural and fine grain, no scratches, no insect bites and no blood veins. The selection rejection rate is extremely high. Only hides with even texture, good resilience and moderate thickness can enter the tanning process.

Tanneries are also top-tier workshops with long-term partnerships with Hermès. They apply exclusive processes from tanning to fatliquoring, preserving Togo’s signature slight lychee grain, soft yet structured hand feel and natural matte finish—something that cannot be replicated by ordinary replica hides and tanning procedures.

Red dyeing is an even greater challenge.

Premium red requires an extremely high-quality base: the crust leather must first undergo even bleaching and neutralization. An unclean base will result in a red tone that is orange-tinged, dull or muddy.

Only imported dyes with high purity, high penetration and high lightfastness can be used, applied through multiple dip-dyeing processes so that the color penetrates deep into the leather fibers rather than floating on the surface.

During dyeing, temperature, rotation speed, pH value and dipping time must be strictly controlled to ensure the red is even and transparent, with consistent color across the grain’s peaks and valleys, no blotchiness or uneven shading.

The finishing process must also be precisely controlled: it must retain Togo’s natural touch and grain, while allowing the red to appear full, non-glare and luxuriously subtle.

Too much shine looks cheap; too much darkness loses the vibrancy of a premium red. It must also be friction-resistant, light-resistant and stable against fading or discoloration.

This combination of strict controls over hide origin, tanning technology and dyeing precision makes the red Togo Picotin one of the most difficult styles to perfectly replicate.