The JANEFINDS Archive

The Fall Edit: Hermès in Suede, Shearling and Wool

Suede, shearling and wool from the JANEFINDS collection in October 2026, organized by material, with what to check on each.

Suede, shearling and wool change how a familiar Hermès silhouette looks and handles. A napped surface takes in light instead of reflecting it, shearling softens an outline, and wool brings a texture and pattern that leather cannot. All three are less forgiving than Togo or Epsom: water, friction and dye from clothing mark them more readily, and those marks are harder to remove.

This edit draws on the suede, shearling and wool pieces in the JANEFINDS collection this October, grouped by material. Each image links to the piece’s record, and dates are given where the record states one. Six of the pieces also open Curated by Jane this fall.

Suede: Doblis, Grizzly and veau velours

Hermès suede appears in our records under three names. Doblis is the name on most of the suede pieces here. Veau velours is the French description of suede calfskin. Grizzly is used for bags that set a suede body inside smooth leather, and every Grizzly piece in this edit is built that way. None of the three names is a quality grade, and the Hermès Suede Guide covers the terminology in detail.

The Birkin 35 in black veau velours, dated 2015, is suede on every exterior surface, with no smooth trim. The Kelly 28 Sellier in Noir Doblis dates to 2006. The Grizzly Birkins in this section frame their suede instead: Swift on the Birkin 25, 30 and 40 examples, Capucine Evercolor on the Birkin 35.

Suede also comes in clutch and evening formats. The Kelly Pochettes in Vert Anis and Turquoise Doblis both date to 2005, and the Kelly Élan in Noir Doblis, with Permabrass hardware, to 2025.

What to check: suede shows wear first at the corners, along the flap edge, on the handles and across the base. Ask for photographs of those areas in even light and from more than one direction. The nap changes tone as it turns, so a darker patch can be shading or a mark, and two directions tell them apart.

Shearling: the Teddy family

Shearling is sheepskin that keeps its wool. The Teddy Kelly appeared in Hermès’ Fall/Winter 2005 collection, during Jean Paul Gaultier’s years as creative director of women’s ready-to-wear. The Teddy Kelly 35 here is dated 2005, with an I in a square, and keeps its original materials: a Fauve Doblis body, Mouton shearling at the gussets, flap edge and handle, and Ébène Barenia for the sangle, shoulder strap and clochette.

Later pieces carry shearling into other formats. The Mini Teddy Kelly 20, dated 2023, pairs Chamois Grizzly with Alezan Swift and écru shearling. The In-the-Loop waist bag, dated 2024, works its Chaîne d’Ancre link in shearling on one face and in Swift on the other. The Barenia-and-shearling Kelly clutch began as a 2007 Kelly muff. Its sides were later closed to make a clutch, a modification disclosed in its record; it is a converted muff, not a separate Hermès model.

At accessory scale, the Kelly Pocket Teddy belt in Gold Epsom and shearling and the Teddy pocket shoulder strap in Noir Swift and shearling use the same material.

What to check: look at the handle, corners and edges for matting, discoloration and shedding, and at the suede beside the shearling, where the two materials meet. For the full Teddy history, read the Teddy Kelly reference.

Wool: Lainage and felt

Lainage is French for woolen fabric. The Birkin 30 Lainage here is dated 2006, with a J in a square, from the Gaultier years. Its body panels are a fine houndstooth on an ivory ground, and Ébène Togo takes every point that sees wear: the top band, handles, sangles, flap and corner caps, with protective studs on the base.

The HAC 40 uses Gris Clair wool felt for its body, with Rose Azalée Evercolor at the flap, handles, straps and base.

What to check: wool cannot be refinished the way smooth leather can. Inspect the panels for pilling, snags, moth damage and stains, and the leather frame for wear at the corners.

Suede alongside other materials

Suede also appears as one material among several. The two Ghillies Birkin 30s set Doblis panels inside perforated, brogue-style trim; the Ghillies reference explains the treatment. The Birkin 35 in this group pairs black Doblis with black Porosus crocodile and gold hardware.

Through the season

• Moisture, light and heat: Hermès advises protecting leather from humidity and from prolonged exposure to light or extreme heat. Keep suede, shearling and wool out of the rain, and have any of them assessed before cleaning.
• Products: Hermès also advises against care products that are not adapted to its leathers, so a generic suede spray, eraser or conditioner is not a safe assumption.
• Color transfer: dark denim and other dyed fabrics can mark pale suede and shearling where the bag rests against them.
• Storage: keep each piece in its dust bag, away from heat, light and humidity, without stacking and without pressure on the nap or the shearling.

Our Care Guide covers day-to-day handling.

Every piece in this edit

Each image and table entry links to its JANEFINDS object record.