BAGGING RIGHTS

NOT EVERY BAG IS EQUAL a LOOK INTO AN HERMES WORKSHOP will HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THEIR LEATHER GOODS are LEGENDARY

- CAROLINE SUGANDA

Pantin, a neighbourhood in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, is where all the leather dreams of Hermès are turned into reality. It is here, in a bright and spacious workshop built in 1992, that some 250 artisans craft the leather goods that the French luxury house has become so famous for.

It's astonishing to discover because of the status and positioning of Hermès at the forefront of global luxury fashion - that the way these goods are made is so simple and traditional. Tools and techniques have remained almost the same as those used when Thierry Hermès founded the house in 1837, with only slight adjustments being made so that they are easier to use. Almost everything is made by hand: A Kelly handle, made up of five pieces of leather, is placed on a clamp, meticulously stitched with beeswax-coated French linen thread and two needles; dye is applied at the edges by an ultrafine brush handled by the steadiest hand; constant gentle tapping of hammers ensuring that hardware is aligned perfectly. There is no whirring of heavy machinery, no factory production lines for assemblage. Here, one bag is exclusively made by one artisan.

This is just one of the many workshops in France (all Hermès leather goods are made in France only). The French house has over 4,000 artisans in 20 or so manufactures located in regions like Normandy, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and more.

Before Hermès became one of the most desirable luxury leather goods houses in the world today, it was - and still is - a harness-maker and saddler. It was birthed in an era when riding horses was a common means of transport, so Hermès' vision was simple and succinct: to create harnesses that are both robust and fine, liberating the horses while revealing their beauty.