Apple may have ditched leather altogether for its Apple Watch 9 bands, but the company’s main leather band partner Hermès certainly hasn’t.
At Apple’s September 12 launch event, it led with the news of a fresh green push that would immediately do away with the use of leather in its iPhone cases and – perhaps more consequentially given the status as a ubiquitous fashion product – Apple Watch bands.
Apple’s number one partner when it comes to supplying said leather Apple Watch bands has always been Hermès, so we know the company would have gotten the memo. However, it seems the French fashion label is pursuing its own distinct path when it comes to Apple’s no-leather policy.
As noted by Twitter user Parker Ortolani, Hermès continues to sell leather Apple Watch bands on its website. More awkwardly, it has just launched two brand new leather strap options for the Apple Watch Series 9. Indeed, it’s selling the Apple Watch Series 9 itself in these leather strap configurations.
It seems Apple’s much-heralded commitment to “reduce impact on the planet” by “ending the use of leather across all of its product lines” is only good within the confines of its own website and stores.
Value clash aside, Apple has announced a new FineWoven material for its future cases and Apple Watch straps, which looks to replicate the premium look and feel of leather without the need to skin a bunch of cows.
Alongside the Apple Watch 9, which comes with a much faster S9 chip and a brighter screen, the company also unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with the same S9 SiP and an even brighter screen.
