The rare and discontinued leather has landed on our site and is our Crush of the Month for April 2022

So, recently a rare Pokemon appeared in our offices. By rare Pokemon, I really mean the Hermés Birkin 35 in the discontinued Ardennes leather. You could hear the glee in the voices of some of our H-enthusiast curators as they marvel at the armcandy. This particular B35 is made from Vachette Grainee des Ardennes, which basically is French for "grained calfskin from the Ardennes'“. It is a processed pressed leather crafted from a male calf that was raised in the Ardenne region, which spans from Northern France to Southern Belgium.

As mentioned earlier, this particular leather has been discontinued. There is not much information on when exactly it was discontinued, or why it was discontinued, but according to some quick research, collectors started to realise that the Ardennes leather was no longer used from as early as 2007. It was replaced by the Vache Liegee, which coincidentally, has also been discontinued.

This particular model is from 1999.

A little bit more about the Ardennes leather

Looking at the bag, I noticed that the leather is thick but has small, and slightly raised grains, making it feel smoother to touch than the Togo, for instance. It is extremely hardwearing and feels very sturdy, as it is made from what many collectors consider to be a ”work horse” leather. What this basically means is that it holds structure very well and is firm, although not as firm and structured as box leather. However, unlike the box leather, you don’t have to be too precious with this one when carrying it. Overall, this leather is both scratch and water resistant, making it an excellent investment purchase because it can stand the test of time and it clearly already did.

One of the best things about working in this pre-loved industry, and for THE FIFTH COLLECTION, is that I get to see cool pieces that are treasures. This Ardennes B35 is a fine example. The stamping reveals that this bag is from 1999 - most definitely a vintage piece. The product page itself has pretty good images of the overall condition, as well as the flaws and imperfections. Don’t hesitate to use the zoom functionality available on each images. However, for an arm candy that is more than 20 years old, this B35 is definitely a keeper. The patina of the leather still looks great, and the overall look is fresh.

Thus, this Ardennes Birkin 35 is definitely collector-worthy. What we love about the Natural colour is that it can go with almost everything in your wardrobe. It is also in a classic shade that exudes quiet luxury. Now, if you’d like to have more information on this arm candy, or simply to have more images before making the decision to bite the bullet, feel free to reach out via the chat on the site.

Shop the Hermès Ardennes Birkin 35