The luxurious Hermes Clemence leather is also known as the Taurillon leather.
It’s one of the most popular Hermes leathers.
Taurillon means “young bull” in French. This leather is made from the hide of a young bull.
It’s a semi-matte leather with large irregular graining that gets tanned on a drum.
This process makes this material softer and creates the graining pattern.
Clemence leather is soft, smooth, supple, and pleasant to the touch.
Clemence leather history
Clemence leather was introduced by Hermes in 1992. It was initially created for manufacturing their luggage pieces.
This leather is named after the daughter of the Hermes designer that first started using this leather.
Hermes Clemence leather bags
You can find most Hermes bag models made in Clemence leather.
Of course, there are Birkin and Kelly bags made from Taurillon.
However, this leather is soft and slouchy.
So it doesn’t look as good on structured bags as it does on slouchier bags.
That’s why it’s not the best choice for Birkin and Kelly bags because they won’t hold their shape and will become floppy.
If you’ve got a Clemence Birkin, you can insert an organizer to prevent your bag’s sides from losing their shape.
Clemence is a perfect leather for the Picotin Lock, Evelyne, Garden Party, and Lindy bags because they are softer than Birkins and Kellys and this material gives them the necessary slouch and casual look.
Hermes Clemence leather colors
Clemence bags can be dyed into pretty much any color that Hermes has in its palette.
This leather looks great in any hue and has a perfect color saturation.
So bright colors look amazing on bags made fromTaurillon leather.
I have a Jaune Ambre Picotin 22 and it has a very rich color.
Hermes Clemence vs Togo
These leathers look very similar to the untrained eye. Some people can’t even see any difference.
First of all, Clemence is similar to Togo in its texture.
However, the veining structure of Togo leather is more pronounced than the veining of Clemence but the grains are smaller.
If you dislike the substantial veining of Togo leather but still love the overall look you may want to get a Clemence bag instead.
The main difference between these two materials is that Clemence is made from the hide of young bulls and Togo is made from baby calfskin.
Clemence has more luster than Togo, which has a powdery feel.
Clemence is also more supple and pleasant to the touch and is slouchier than Togo.
In addition to that, Clemence is thicker and heavier than Togo.
So if you dislike carrying a heavy bag Clemence may not be a good option for you.
Hermes Clemence leather wear and tear
Clemence becomes even more supple and slouchy with time. So structured bags like Birkin may eventually start losing their shape.
Clemence is much softer than, for example, the hard and stiff Epsom leather.
The corners of a Clemence bag are prone to getting rubbed and becoming smoother than the rest of the leather on the bag.
But they don’t get worn out as much as the corners of Epsom bags.
Plus, it’s a lot easier to get Clemence repaired than Epsom, which is notoriously difficult to restore.
Clemence can be buffed by an experienced craftsman so that scratches and scuffs blend in with the rest of the bag.
And you can even buff out minor scratches at home using a leather conditioner and a leather buffing cloth.
However, Taurillon leather is very sturdy and scratch-resistant. So there won’t be many scratches, to begin with.
In addition to that, it doesn’t show wear too much.
Many people even call it indestructible.
It’s a great leather for everyday use.
Unlike, for example, Box or Barenia leathers, Clemence is an all-weather material that can withstand rain and snow well and won’t be damaged.
This is a huge plus!
Of course, that means it can withstand just a bit of rain or snow, not a downpour.
Then you can just wipe your bag with a soft cloth and it will look as new.
Still, cover your bag with something if you get in heavy rain.
Hermes Clemence leather care and maintenance
Hermes Clemence is pretty low maintenance.
You should wipe it with a soft dry leather buffing cloth from time to time.
If the bag gets dirty or stained just a bit you can wipe any spots away with a slightly damp buffing cloth or leather cleaning wipes.
Some marks like tarnish or pen marks can be removed with a special leather cleaning eraser.
Hermes craftsmen never recommend using baby wipes on your bags.
There’s always a risk of damaging the surface finish of the bag’s leather.
The best way to clean really dirty Clemence leather is by using a special leather cleaner or otion.
You may also want to moisturize your Clemence bag with a leather conditioner if it becomes dull or dry.
But moisture is needed rarely.
Some spots or dots that you may encounter on this leather could appear because of the leather coating coming to the surface. You can wipe these spots out with a cloth too.
If your bag’s handles or corners get worn you can try to touch them up with special leather restoration paints that are available for pretty much any leather color.
Clemence leather is easy to repair in case something happens with your bag.
You can send your bag to a Hermes spa and they will do everything for you for a fee.
Final thoughts
Clemence is soft, has a great texture and color saturation.
This all makes it look luxurious.
It’s very sturdy and low-maintenance.
You can use bags made from this leather for everyday wear.
And all this makes Hermes Clemence leather very popular.
If you want to buy a Clemence Hermes bag I’d suggest getting a slouchy Picotin Lock, Lindy, or Evelyne bag.
These bags are a perfect match for Clemence leather because it gives them the necessary relaxed shape.
Some people avoid Birkin or Kelly bags in Clemence because they may not keep their shape and won’t look as structured as Epsom or Box leather bags.
