How to get your bags Summertime-ready

With the brighter days of Summer on their way, it’s not just your skin that needs protection. Your handbags need it too.

Here we outline some of main risk of the sun’s rays and rain (it wouldn’t be a UK summer without it…!) as well as our top tips to keep your bags looking and feeling great.

1. Discolouration and fading from overexposure to sunlight

Leather is an animal skin so, much like our own skin, requires protection against harmful UV rays without which it’s prone to premature ageing, discolouration and cracking. UV light is powerful and can cause changes on a molecular level. The buttery soft Nappa leather used for many luxury handbags is extremely porous which means it can easily absorb moisture – but it also releases this moisture. UV rays draw moisture from the leather by dislocating vital natural oils, leaving handbags dry and wilted.

Two of the most common culprits we see in the Clinic for sun damage restoration include the Chanel Classic and Chanel Flap bags. Chanel’s buttery soft lambskin leather is an aniline leather making it super absorbent and prone to fading through outdoor use. The first visible change you will notice with overexposure to sunlight is discolouration. We treat this with a full in-depth clean to remove any surface contaminants and then professionally restore the colour using natural balms and dyes to return the leather to its natural shade whilst maintaining its soft feel. We also apply a nourishing protection cream to the leather which adds the natural oils again and a barrier to the surface which defends against UV fade and liquid penetrating the leather avoiding staining.

We also frequently see Louis Vuitton handbags which are crafted from vachetta leather, a super absorbent aniline leather. Vachetta is designed to develop patina over time which slightly changes and darkens the colour – over exposure to UV light, combined with oils from sun cream, can drastically speed this process up. If a Louis Vuitton bag has a dark vachetta, this indicates it’s on its way out and in need of some urgent TLC. To restore vachetta, we apply a degreasing solution that removes contaminants before nourishing the leather with our bespoke nourishing balm.

2. Structure loss, cracking and wilting from overexposure to UVA rays

We tend to see this when sun damage is much more pronounced – primarily from bags not being stored correctly. For optimum longevity, handbags should be stored out of direct sunlight in a cool and dry location, ideally in their dust bags when not in use. We also advise customers to be mindful of leaving handbags in cars, where UVA rays can still penetrate and actually cause more damage than UVB rays. Thankfully, all can be remedied. We recommend using a bag pillow to stuff your handbag and maintain the shape and structure when it’s not in use. If you use tissue, ensure it’s acid-free. It’s also vital to ensure you use a high-quality dust bag to avoid dye transfer stains.

Water stains are one of the most common liquid stains we treat in the Clinic. Again, because most items in luxury fashion are made from lightly treated leathers for their luxurious butter soft feel, this means they are very absorbent. This is why it’s so important to protect your bag from day one with a protective treatment – this prevents a spillage or /accidental marking becoming an actual stain. Our protection treatment will protect against all liquids, you will literally see the water sit on top of the protection treatment before simply wiped away. Generally speaking, if you leave the rain droplets for an extended amount of time these may migrate through the protective barrier so giving the bag a quick wipe down after being caught in a down pour is all you need to do. Many luxury handbags, including the iconic Hermes Birkin, come with their own plastic rain cover which can come in handy when you get caught in a downpour. A plastic rain cover is much easier to wipe down and clean than a porous leather handbag.

The Handbag Clinic’s Summer Protection Tips

• Regular cleaning and protecting is the best way to keep your bag looking great and, of course, for hygienic reasons this can be vital.
• Having the right cleaning and protective products on hand is essential for optimum maintenance. Our care kits come with everything you need including sponges, cloths and a brush in the suede kit so you have all the tools required to keep your bags looking as good as new.
• Avoiding placing your bags on floors in restaurant and bars - this leads to scuffed corners and your bag will be in prime position for spillages. We have repaired so many bags that have been stained by a clumsy waiter or a spillage on a neighbouring table.
• Wrapping a patterned silk scarf around the handles is a stylish and chic solution for protecting the most used area of your bag.
• Heat and moisture can really affect leather so storing your bag in a cool, dry location is vital.
• Use a bag pillow to stuff your handbag to maintain the shape and structure and avoid wear and tear while you aren’t using the item.
• If you stuff your bag with tissue, you must ensure it’s acid-free and that the dust bag is of a high quality, which will not leak any colour onto your bag.
• At its most basic level, the must-have for every handbag is a make-up bag and a pen lid. Throwing make up brushes, a smashed powder, lipstick that loses its lid or an open pen into your bag causes the bag to become heavily stained on the interior. Make up and ink are some of the hardest stains to remove from fabric with the high oil content and the interior of your bag needs protecting just as much as the outside.

When you’re spending hundreds and often thousands of pounds on a luxury handbag, that’s a big investment and The Handbag Clinic is here to help you keep it looking and feeling great for years to come. Be it cleaning and conditioning treatments, removing stubborn stains, repairing scuffs and tears or replacing broken zips, split piping, worn edges and damaged hardware, improving colour loss, reinforcing shape and stretched handles; our dedicated team of artisans combine the finest craftsmanship, technology and innovative techniques to achieve the seemingly impossible.

So, before you despair and discard your items to landfill, discover our full range of handbag services.  And, quotes are free - get yours today.