Exceptional know-how

We have designed the lines of the Lectoure tote to showcase all the talent of our artisans and allow them to craft an exceptional bag. As this collection was created for leather enthusiasts, we have devoted the utmost care to choosing a hide of unequalled quality, assembled to beautifully enhance its refined aesthetic.

We have chosen to give pride of place to Adagio bull calfskin. To show off this exceptional hide to best effect and guarantee a truly generous feel, it has been worked without a lining, maintaining its natural grain. The pockets, handles and side straps of this tote bag have been crafted in Sonate calfskin, recognised by experts for its matchless quality. It will also be found in the clutches and small leather goods from this iconic collection.

To reveal all the finesse of this tote crafted in high-end nubuck, our artisans have embellished it with precious pieces forged in gold-plated brass. Its buckles are reminiscent of 18th-century finery, while its iconic keyring reinterprets the Quatre-de-chiffre, the historic “figure of four” symbol used by merchants of the period.

Our artisans have taken the time to apply a plant-based dye of a quality worthy of the finest leather goods. This meticulous process required numerous steps concluding in-hand polishing, which ensures an exemplary finish.

To offer you an elegant finish symbolic of traditional luxury leathermaking, our craftspeople have drawn a fine line along the leather trims.

A love of tradition has shaped the Saint-Clair collection and is found in all the steps of its manufacture. We wanted to design a messenger bag in hard leather echoing 18th-century royal cases and assemble it using traditional techniques that have now become rare.

In their search for exceptional leathers, our craftspeople have unearthed two hides that combine and complement each other to perfection: Symphonie calfskin and Arpège nubuck leather. Used to shape the Saint-Clair messenger bag’s hard base, the former has been traditionally tanned in a pit using plant-based dyes and tannins. This method was the first used in leathermaking and continues to be practised by only a few exceptional leather workers looking to obtain an extremely durable, premium-quality leather. The latter is used to fashion a flap whose soft, supple feel adds an ultra-modern contrast.

Due to the rigidity of this traditionally tanned leather, our artisans have been able to perform a moulding process of irreproachable quality. To obtain its rigid shape in modern lines, they have used a leather wetting technique that only a small number of passionate craftspeople continue to practise in France nowadays.

Crafting the corners of the Saint-Clair messenger bag required scrupulous care. Our artisans have perfected their craft to produce perfectly even corner stitching. This ultra-precise technique consists in passing threads through the edge of the thick, hard leather without allowing their stitches to be seen.

As the Saint-Clair messenger bag celebrates the art of leatherworking, our artisans rose to a real challenge. They decided to create every seam by hand using leather pliers, an awl and two needles to allow the thread to pass through. Only a handful of workers nowadays still master this technique, which requires extreme precision.

Our Saint-Clair messenger bag draws on rare expertise down to the slightest detail. The bands of its shoulder strap have been attached using hinge plates, which are rarely used in leather goods. Machined in polished brass before being galvanised with palladium, they have then been carefully engraved with Joseph Duclos’ initials.