How to Make Do and Mend Your Handbag

As the cost-of-living soars, the price of luxury handbags continues to rise and people’s growing desire to make more sustainable choices, many are opting to repair or modernise their once loved but tired handbags, shoes and accessories – instead of buying new. So, as the UK’s original handbag restorer, our expert artisans are always here to help.

Don't wait for Spring to make a wardrobe reappraisal. Here’s our top tips to help you get the most out of your handbags:

1. Regular cleaning and protecting is the best way to keep your bag looking great and of course for hygienic reasons this can be vital.
2. Having the right cleaning and protective products on hand is essential for optimum maintenance.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Wrapping a patterned silk scarf around the handles is a stylish and chic solution for protecting the most used area of your bag.
6. Heat and moisture can really affect leather so storing your bag in a cool, dry location is vital.
7. 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.
8. 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
9. 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

And, how we can fix some of the most common issues:

Discolouration and fading

Last summer saw the mercury hitting record highs, which wreaked havoc on our handbags. We’ve seen a higher than usual number of UV damaged bags in the Clinic. 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 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.

Louis Vuitton handbags, another brand we see often, are crafted from vachetta leather, which is also 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. This usually requires replacing the vachetta altogether if the discolouration is dark. For less advanced discoloration, we apply a degreasing solution that removes contaminants before nourishing the leather with our bespoke nourishing balm.

Water stains are one of the most common liquid stains we treat in the Clinic. We saw record rainfall last year, so it’s no surprise we’ve seen an unusually high number of stain treatment requests. 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.

Whilst white, cream and nude colour bags are a thing of beauty, they require optimum cleaning and maintenance to keep them looking pristine. Not only can a colour change provide an instant facelift to modernise dated shades, it’s also the most effective way to hide a multitude of sins. Anything is possible – beyond light-colours being darkened. In fact, we’re seeing many of our fashion editor and celebrity clients choosing to make a real statement with their colour choices.

The crossbody trend has been hugely popular over the last year, with many designers reimagining some of their cult classics to incorporate this essential leather strap. A win for versatility, the hands-free luxury is a must for busy working women and mums and can take the form of a chain or leather strap in-keeping with a bag’s aesthetic.

If you would like to find out more about our full range of cleaning and repair services and how we can help you extend the life of your items, visit our Handbag Services page now.

Or, if you know what service you need, you can request a free online quote.