Luxury Goods
Vintage & Antique
Designer Items
Military & Uniform
Collectables
Custom Projects
Leather Restoration
Assessment & InsuranceBates
Luxury Goods
Bates is an Australian saddlery known for its adjustable gullet system and, on many models, air panel technology alongside traditional flocked leather panels. Repairs are matched to the specific panel technology fitted - flocked leather panels are re-flocked and conditioned, while air panel systems are assessed separately - alongside billet and stitching repair.
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 luxury goods in good condition:
- Brand-appropriate materials matter more here than almost anywhere else in the workshop - luxury and heritage pieces are made from specific leathers, threads, hardware plating and finishes that a house chose deliberately, and repairing with the nearest generic hide, dye or buckle is often more visible - and more value-damaging - than the original wear ever was. We match leather type, grain, stitch pattern and hardware finish to the piece rather than to whatever is quickest to hand.
- Keep any paperwork that comes with a piece - the original box, dust bag, receipt, authentication card or a previous valuation - even if it seems unrelated to the repair itself. It helps confirm the exact model, leather type and production era, which makes both an accurate, brand-correct repair and a fair insurance valuation much easier to arrive at.
- Vintage and antique pieces need gentler handling than current production - old vegetable-tanned leather, early adhesives and aged stitching can be more fragile than they look. Please don't attempt to clean, recolour or re-glue anything yourself before it's been assessed; well-meaning home treatments are one of the most common causes of avoidable value loss on older pieces.
- If a piece is insured or was bought as an investment, get it assessed before a small problem progresses. A scuff or a loose stitch caught early is usually a straightforward, low-intervention repair - the same fault left to develop can turn into a full restoration that costs more and inevitably touches more of the original material than it needed to.
- Tell us about any prior repairs, restorations or modifications a piece has already had, even ones done elsewhere. Matching or working around earlier repair work changes how we approach a job and what we can honestly tell you about the result, and it's better we know upfront than discover it partway through.
Do you use the brand's original materials and hardware?
Wherever possible, yes - we match leather type, grain and colour, thread and stitch pattern, and hardware finish (gold, palladium, ruthenium and so on) to the original as closely as commercially available materials allow. Where an exact factory-spec component isn't obtainable outside the brand's own service network, we'll tell you before starting and offer the closest honest match.
Can you restore a vintage or antique piece without losing its value?
Careful, minimal-intervention restoration is exactly the approach we take with older pieces - conserving original leather, stitching and hardware wherever it's sound, and only replacing what has genuinely failed. Over-restoration (stripping original patina, replacing parts that didn't need it) is one of the biggest risks to a collectible's value, so we agree the right level of intervention with you before any work begins.
Do you provide condition reports or documentation for insurance purposes?
Yes - our Assessment & Insurance service covers written condition reports, pre- and post-repair documentation, and photographic records that can support an insurance valuation or claim. We don't set a monetary valuation ourselves - that's a job for a specialist valuer or your insurer - but we document condition, materials and the work carried out in a form insurers generally accept.
Can you take on bespoke or custom leather projects?
Yes, subject to assessment. Our Custom Projects service covers one-off commissions and non-standard restoration work that doesn't fit a normal repair category - get in touch with photos and a description of what you have in mind, and we'll confirm feasibility, likely process and a guide price before you commit to anything.
Is a Hermès bag repaired differently from a general designer handbag?
Yes, in the detail. Hermès bags are hand saddle-stitched with two needles rather than machine-sewn, so a proper repair matches that stitch technique, not just the thread colour, and the leathers used (Box calf, Togo, Clemence and others) each behave differently under conditioning and recolouring. We adapt technique and materials to the specific house and model rather than applying one generic 'designer bag' repair to everything.
My piece needs work that's covered under the maker's own warranty or in-house service - should I come to you or go to them?
If a piece is under an active manufacturer warranty, or the brand offers its own in-house repair or restoration service you'd prefer to use, that route may protect the warranty or the brand's own authentication in a way ours can't, and we're happy to advise on this at assessment. For older or out-of-warranty pieces, or where you'd simply rather use an independent specialist, we're glad to take it on.