Of all the things commuters and Amtrak passengers might have expected to encounter in Chicago’s Union Station last week, it’s unlikely that a French leather artisan hand stitching an Hermès Birkin bag was one of them. Sebastien Fraisse was one of 12 Hermès artisans in town to showcase his craft as part of Hermès in the Making, a grand, traveling exhibition that brings the house’s metiers to the public in the interest of sharing the human touch and exceptional skill that go into its products.
“You learn the technique that we’ve had for centuries, from more than 400 years ago,” said Fraisse, who works in Hermes Beverly Hills store and spent 18 months training to making Hermes bags. “I will try to save this from generation to generation, to transit this passion and patience also, because it's a work of commitment.”
