The
glossary.

A skin from a species whose trade is governed by specific regulations. Python, crocodile, lizard and ostrich can notably fall under CITES rules.

Step where the pattern pieces are traced then cut from the skin. The direction of the fibres, the softer areas and the natural marks are taken into account before each cut.

A preparatory assembly that joins two elements, temporarily or permanently, with a suitable adhesive before stitching. It holds the pieces in place and prepares a precise construction.

The element that closes the bag. Its shape, its fixing and the way it works with the leather directly shape how the piece is used.

A creation whose combination of material, tone, thread or hardware is not meant to be reproduced identically. The piece thus holds its own configuration.

A piece made after the order is confirmed, according to the options available at the time of purchase. The stated lead time accounts for its production before shipping.

A stitch made with two needles mounted on the same thread, crossing through each pre-pierced hole. Each stitch is locked by its neighbours and depends on none of the others. The seam progresses slowly, stays dense, and can be reopened years later.

Thinning the leather along its edges with a knife, before assembly. Without skiving, joining two thicknesses creates a ridge. With it, the edge stays clean and the flap falls flat.

Dyeing the edge, the exposed cross-section of the leather's thickness, before burnishing it under heat, pass after pass, until it becomes smooth and firm to the touch. It's one of the gestures where the time spent on a piece reads most directly.

The point that pierces each hole before the thread passes through, always at the same angle. It's what sets the stitch's pitch, before the two needles come in.

The blade that thins the edge of the leather before assembly. The gesture is judged by eye and by hand: too much weakens the hide, too little leaves a ridge at the seam.

The engraved brass iron, heated then pressed onto the lining. It leaves the house monogram debossed, never touching the outside of the bag.

The workshop that prepares fine hides: goat, lamb, sheep. Distinct from a tannery, which handles thicker hides such as calf or bull. Our goatskins come from the Alran tawnery, in Mazamet, founded in 1903.

The workshop that turns a raw hide into stable, rot-proof leather. Tanneries Haas, in Alsace, founded in 1842, supply the smooth calfskins.

The natural pattern on the surface of the leather, unique to the animal and never quite the same twice. A tight grain catches less light and holds up better to friction. Its variations are proof the surface hasn't been sanded or re-printed.

The outer face of the hide, the one that carried the hair. It's the densest, most resistant layer. A "full-grain" leather has kept this surface intact, with no mechanical correction.

The pleated side panel that connects the front to the back and lets the bag expand in volume as it fills. It's what makes a small format hold far more than it appears to.

The way a leather's colour and sheen evolve with use, light and contact with the skin. A patina is earned, not applied at the atelier.

The international convention governing trade in protected species. Exotic skins, python and ostrich, travel with a permit issued in the buyer's name that follows the hide from supplier to finished bag.

All the metal parts: clasp, rings, chain attachments. Here they are substantial, solid in the hand, and fixed straight into the leather.

The metal plate that spreads a clasp's force over a wide area of leather instead of concentrating it on two points. A few thousand openings later, the flap still falls in exactly the same place.