The Shebag artisanal workshop is currently in the midst of producing custom orders for Hermès Birkin 30 bags for Christmas. This specific “Trench Grey” (Gris Trench) color is exceptionally unique and sophisticated. As a light-colored hue, Trench Grey imposes extremely high requirements on the quality of the Togo leather.

Today, Shebag returns to the topic of Hermès Togo leather, and how Shebag acquires top-tier Togo hides.

Togo (Veau Togo) is a grained calfskin used with extremely high frequency for the Hermès Birkin. Its supply chain structure is characterized by high industrialization, strict control, and low tolerance for error. Its value lies not in the rarity of the leather itself, but in the capability to compress uncertainty throughout the entire process—from raw hide to the finished bag.

Raw Materials: Togo belongs to the calfskin system, and the requirements for raw hide quality are paramount. The hides come primarily from mature European cattle sources, where the calf’s age, body type, and skin integrity are strictly limited. The factors that truly affect usability are not just the “breed of cattle,” but the detailed control of ranch management and the slaughtering process. Insect bites, parasites, fence scratches, skin diseases, compression friction during transport, knife marks during skinning, and improper salting or cold chain handling—all these defects get magnified during the subsequent tanning process, directly leading to loose grain (looseness), hidden damage, or unstable texture. The defect rate of raw hides allowed into the Hermès system is far lower than that of the ordinary high-end leather market.

Tanning (The Core Value): The core value of the supply chain is concentrated in the tanning stage. The grain of Togo is not simple embossing; it is the result of highly controlled tanning and re-tanning processes. This ensures that while the natural texture is preserved, the granule distribution remains uniform, three-dimensional, but not stiff. Tanneries use precise control over liming, deliming, tanning agent ratios, fat-liquoring systems, drying tension, and drum timing/temperature/humidity to “iron out” the random differences of natural skins. This is a capability that ordinary tanneries find difficult to replicate over the long term. What Togo requires is not extreme softness, but long-term stable stiffness, rebound, and resistance to deformation to support the three-dimensional structure of the Birkin.

Grading and Screening: After the finished leather enters Hermès, it undergoes extremely rigorous grading and screening. Hides are graded based on grain uniformity, risk of loose grain, thickness stability, and defect distribution. Different parts of the hide are designated for the bag body, side gussets, flaps, ears, handles, or base. What is truly scarce is not the whole hide, but that specific portion capable of maintaining consistent texture density, color, and hand-feel within the core visual areas of a single bag. Many Togo hides that appear perfect on the outside are ultimately relegated to non-critical structural components, thereby drastically compressing the overall utilization rate.

Dyeing and Finishing: Dyeing and post-processing represent another long-term cost. The Birkin color system demands extremely high batch consistency and long-term stability. It must not only satisfy immediate visual inspection but also remain resistant to friction, sweat, and light, and resist discoloration or greying over years of use. Light colors (like Trench Grey) are extremely sensitive to dye purity and metal ion control, while dark colors emphasize depth uniformity and coordination with edge paint. The difference in many leathers that “look like Togo” often only reveals itself after long-term use—such as becoming sticky after contact with hand sweat, turning white at fold points, or experiencing grain collapse. These issues fundamentally stem from immature dyeing and fat-liquoring systems.

The Closed Loop: Throughout the entire chain, Hermès does not simply “purchase leather.” Instead, they form a closed-loop control system through upstream traceable raw material management, midstream long-term binding with top tanneries, and downstream feedback mechanisms regarding leather selection and cutting in the workshops. This structure ensures that Togo production is always limited by the supply capability of stable quality, rather than market demand.

The Togo supply chain faces major risks including fluctuations in raw hide quality, rising compliance costs for European environmental and chemical standards, limitations on color scheduling and capacity allocation, and high dependency on temperature/humidity and logistics conditions. However, looking at the results, these risks have not weakened its value; instead, through rigorous screening, they have further amplified its scarcity.

Shebag’s procurement volume for Togo leather is much smaller than that of the Hermès brand, so we do not need to control factories and supply chains. Our unique characteristic is purchasing top-tier leather at high prices. European leather suppliers have been Shebag’s long-term partners for over a decade. They know perfectly well that as long as they secure high-quality leather, Shebag will take it all. This is the secret to Shebag’s small-batch leather procurement.