Epi is a leather particular to Louis Vuitton, textured with fine, wavy ridges. As Vogue's Liana Satenstein described it in 2020, the only monogram visible is a single LV subtly branded into the grain, and the leather has a "velvety toughness, both butter soft and impenetrable".
The house first used the glossy grained leather on luggage in the 1920s. It was revived in 1985 and released in a range of colours, and over the years it has been turned into wallets, shoulder bags, backpacks and Sotheby's notes that the Neverfull is also offered in Epi.
Vogue presents Epi as the quiet alternative to Vuitton's logo canvases, valued for its durability: fashion director Virginia Smith admitted she was very tough on her bags and liked that Epi stood up to it. A 1999 campaign shot by Raymond Meier, with Fernanda Tavares featured the leather.