Cuir de Russie

When she discovers a sample of Russian leather that the Metta Catharina, a ship that sank in 1786, kept underwater for 200 years, Élise Blouet, leather restorer, is conquered by its strength and beauty.
Legend has it that the creation of Russian leather was a matter of chance: a Cossack riding in the steppes would have rubbed his boots against the bark of the birch trees and thus waterproofed them. Russian leather was born. In the 1920s, Paris was Russian. Hermès created a range of Russian-style leather objects. In 1924, Coco Chanel invented costumes for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and Cuir de Russie perfume.
The Hermes museum and conservatory have unveiled their treasures for this book.