The bag shown today is the Hermès Dance bag made from Swift leather. There are two major challenges in replicating this model. The first is the Swift leather itself, and the second is the pink dyeing process.

Although Swift leather is not used as widely as Togo leather, it is still a very important leather type. Shebag has established a European supply chain for Swift leather. Today we are sharing which Swift leather suppliers Shebag works with, and how they compare with the Swift leather used by Hermès.

Hermès mainly sources Swift leather from its own or partner tanneries in Europe. Tanneries du Puy, a French tannery owned by the Hermès Group, is known for producing high-end calfskin. While it is famous for its expertise in Box leather and Negonda leather, a naturally grained calfskin with some similarities to Swift, it is also a core part of Hermès’ calfskin supply chain. Tanneries d’Annonay is another major French supplier to Hermès, also focused on the production of high-quality calfskin.

In addition, Hermès Swift and Evercolor calfskins also come from Italian tanneries such as Conceria Zabri S.p.A., sometimes referred to in unofficial sources as Pomari’s Italian workshops. This tannery is located in Tuscany, one of Europe’s most renowned leather-producing regions. Shebag’s Swift and Evercolor leathers also come from this tannery, which is not part of the Hermès system.

Conceria Zabri S.p.A. supplies calfskin to Hermès and other luxury brands. Its main competitors include other European tanneries, particularly in France and Italy, that also serve the high-end market. Conceria Walpier S.l.r. in Italy also produces top-tier Swift leather. Located in Tuscany, it is well known for its high-quality vegetable-tanned leathers such as the famous Buttero leather, and represents traditional Italian tanning craftsmanship. It competes with Zabri in the high-end market, and Shebag occasionally sources leather from this company as well.

Bodin Joyeux is a French tannery owned by Chanel, specializing in high-quality lambskin and also working with other leather types. It is another vertically integrated luxury-brand supplier that has been owned by Chanel for many years, and Shebag cannot access leather from this tannery. Conceria Gaiera Giovanni in Italy is a bronze-certified tannery that supplies lambskin, goatskin, and calfskin and is part of Chanel’s supply chain. It is a direct competitor to Zabri. Shebag sourced leather from this tannery in its early years, but has not used it for many years and has never purchased from it in large volumes.