When we invest in new pieces for our wardrobe, it’s tempting to be overprotective and only bring them out on special occasions. But if you love an item, it deserves to be worn and embraced. After all, we’re here to help when things start looking a little pear-shaped. When Hermione brought her Chanel bag to us, it was very well loved indeed. Learn more about the processes our atelier took to repair this Chanel bag.
If your quilted flap bag needs restoring, view prices and book your collection here.
A classic black Chanel is a wardrobe staple that suits every outfit and every occasion. And with a bag so loved, wear and tear is inevitable. The soft lambskin exterior of this bag was extremely worn, exposing a fluffier leather texture. The leather on the corners was completely worn off, and the leather inside the chain was weak and torn. As well, the eyelet holding the chain had come off, requiring all eyelets to be replaced.
This bag needed the works!
Our cleaning, restoration, stitching and sourcing teams gave this bag the love it needed. Read the process our team took to repair this Chanel bag.
First, this bag had a thorough special clean to remove any surface dirt, grease and bacteria within the leather.
In our Bag Special Clean Service, all superficial dirt like mud and dust is brushed or steamed off and the dirt and dust from interiors and pockets is removed with a specialist vacuum tool.
We find a small and subtle area to test cleaning methods to ensure the technique used won’t damage the item. We assess the materials that your bag is made of, and decide which can be cleaned by wet methods and which will require dry methods.
Our sourcing team began the search for new eyelets to replace the one that had become displaced. When sourcing new hardware, we are careful to find replacements that match the style and colour of the original. Using specialist tools, the newly sourced eyelets were secured in place.
Our restoration team tackled the job of restoring the body of the bag. They began by using very fine sandpaper and a scalpel to smooth the worn leather. Specialist leather fillers were used to rebuild extremely worn areas, like the corners and front and back panels. Filler is built up in layers, each time with the sanding process being repeated to ensure as smooth a finish as possible.
Once fillers were in place and the leather structure was rebuilt, our team began to apply paint. Paint is applied in layers to ensure a smooth and even finish. We carefully avoid painting over stitching in order to keep the original look and movement of the bag. The process of sanding and smoothing continued with each new layer of paint. With an even colour achieved, the final step in the restoration process is to apply finisher. Finisher seals and protects the paint and prevents it from transferring. Finally, hardware was polished before the bag moved onto our stitching department.
The final stage was to address the leather in the chain. As this was too torn and weak to restore, we replaced it with like-for-like leather. Keeping the original chain, our stitching experts unthreaded the old leather and replaced it with a newly made leather strap. This is kept securely in place with a bar stitch.
Our Chanel repair has given this bag a whole new lease of life. Back safely in Hermione’s arms, you’d never be able to guess this bag’s well-worn past.
Explore our quilted flap bag restoration service to see how our atelier can revive your bag.
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