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Cleaning & CareVintage Bags
Handbags
Older bags bring their own set of problems on top of normal wear: leather that's dried out and lost flexibility over decades, linings that have gone brittle and started to flake, and hardware finishes no longer made, so a period-correct match sometimes has to be sourced from old stock or aged by hand to sit alongside the original. Restoration here is deliberately sympathetic - stabilising and conserving rather than making the bag look factory-new.
Leather Sole Replacement
From £110 depending on item and complexity
We replace worn leather soles using traditional techniques and premium materials for durability and comfort.
Real before/after pairs for this exact model are on their way - for now, here's recent work from the studio on similar pieces.
Between professional repairs, a few habits keep handbags in good condition:
- Carry bags by their intended handle or strap only, and avoid overloading them beyond what the handles were built for - handle stitching and attachment rivets are engineered for a specific weight, and habitually overfilling a bag is the single biggest cause of handles tearing away from the body.
- Keep zips running freely rather than forcing a snagged one - a light rub of beeswax or a dedicated zip lubricant on the teeth keeps the slider moving smoothly; forcing a stuck zip is what bends sliders and pulls teeth away from the tape.
- Stuff bags with acid-free tissue paper (never newspaper, which transfers ink) before putting them away for any length of time - this holds the bag's shape and stops the base and sides creasing or collapsing in on themselves in storage.
- Watch out for colour transfer from dark, unwashed denim and other dyed fabrics onto pale leather - friction and warmth (a bag on your lap, against a car seat) are exactly the conditions dye migrates in, so wipe off any contact straight away rather than letting it sit.
- Condition smooth leather every three to six months, more often if the bag lives in a centrally heated house, a hot car or a dry climate - leather that's allowed to dry out is what eventually cracks at fold points and corners. Don't over-condition, though; too much product leaves leather feeling greasy and attracts dirt.
- Keep bags away from direct heat and direct sunlight, in storage and when drying out after getting wet - a radiator, a car parcel shelf or a sunny windowsill will dry leather out and fade its colour far faster than normal use ever would.
Can you replace a broken zip with the original brand's zip?
We fit zips to match the original in gauge, tooth type and finish (brass, gunmetal, nylon coil) so the action and appearance are as close as possible to what came off the bag. Genuine branded pull tabs from the original manufacturer aren't something we can source for every brand, but where an exact branded replacement isn't available we'll match the pull's shape and finish as closely as we can and talk you through the options before starting.
Do you repair designer bags here, or is that handled under Specialist Repairs?
Generic repairs on designer bags - zips, handles, corner wear, hardware, linings - are handled here under Handbags, the same as any other bag. Brand-specific heritage restoration for houses like Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and similar, where authentication or house-specific construction techniques are involved, sits under Specialist Repairs > Luxury Goods > Luxury Handbags instead. If you're not sure which applies to your bag, send us a photo and we'll point you the right way.
Can you match my stitching colour and pattern exactly?
Yes - we hold a wide library of waxed thread colours and match both the shade and the stitch itself, whether that's a fine single-needle line or a saddle-stitched pattern. Wherever the leather allows it, we reuse the original needle holes rather than punching new ones, which keeps the repaired line looking original rather than doubled up.
How do you re-stitch a handle or strap so it doesn't look repaired?
We remove the old thread carefully rather than cutting it away, work back through the existing needle holes wherever they're still sound, and match thread weight and colour to the original. Knots are finished and hidden inside the construction rather than left on a visible face, so a well-done re-stitch reads as maintenance rather than a repair.
Is it safe to post a valuable bag to you?
Yes - we recommend Royal Mail Special Delivery for anything of real value, which is tracked and insured. Stuff the bag with tissue paper to hold its shape in transit, box it rather than using just a padded envelope, and it's worth photographing the bag beforehand so there's a clear record of its condition before it travels. You don't need to remove hardware or straps - just make sure nothing can shift and rub inside the box.
The corners of my bag have worn through to the backing - can that be repaired invisibly?
In most cases, yes. Depending on how deep the wear is, we either rebuild the corner with matching leather and re-edge it, or, on a shallower scuff, colour-match and refinish the edge paint so the repair blends into the surrounding leather rather than sitting as a visible patch. Corners worn right through to a stiffening board underneath need a slightly more involved rebuild, but it's still done to look original.