Fashion

If This Then That: Bags – Hermès → Pierre Laborde

By Guzangs

January 15, 2026

You don’t need us to explain the Birkin. But you might not know Pierre Laborde yet—and you should.

IF YOU LIKE

HERMÈS

You likely value structure, impeccable leather, and the reassurance of heritage and permanence. You’re drawn to bags that feel deliberate, shaped by proportion, finished by hand, and built to hold their presence over time.

If you are drawn to Hermès, you likely value structure, restraint, and the quiet authority of exceptional leather. You understand bags as objects of longevity rather than trend. The appeal is not flash, but finish. A form perfected over time. A material that improves with wear. An object that signals discernment without explanation.

Image via Sothebys

YOU WILL LOVE

PIERRE LABORDE

Crafted with the same reverence for material and form, these pieces prioritize precision, scarcity, and discretion. Access is intentional, production is limited, and recognition comes from those who just ... know. IKYK

Then consider Pierre Laborde Bags. Crafted in with the same reverence for material and proportion, these bags are defined by precision, scarcity, and intention. Each piece reflects a deep understanding of leather as a living material, shaped by hand rather than scale. Hard to find by design, not by marketing, they offer a different lineage of luxury. One rooted in mastery, not myth, and in access earned through craft.

Image via Sothebys Pierre Laborde Instagram.

Laborde is Haitian-born, FIT-trained, and works alone out of his New York studio. Every bag is made by his hands. The website runs a waitlist because production stops when he hits capacity. If you’d rather not wait, he sells weekends at the Grand Bazaar on the Upper West Side—but you’ll need to show up early and ready to decide fast.
Prices run $275 to $1,200. No logos. No seasons. Just the bag.

Pierre Laborde

Pierre Laborde_Article Images

Pierre Laborde_Article Images

Both ask you to wait. One for an institution, one for a single pair of hands. Same respect for the craft—different scale.

IF YOU LIKE

HERMÈS

Hermès Birkin 30 White Himalaya Matte Niloticus Crocodile Palladium Hardware, 2016

Each Hermès bag is produced in limited quantity, shaped by the pace of handcraft rather than demand. Time, skill, and material discipline determine how many can exist, making scarcity a structural part of the object itself.

Image via Sothebys

THEN CHECK OUT

PIERRE LABORDE

Snake print bag with hardware

Each Pierre Laborde bag is released in limited quantity by design, with access granted selectively rather than widely offered. Production is intentionally constrained, creating scarcity through discretion, control, and deliberate availability.

Image via Pierre Laborde Instagram.

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