SoleHeeled offers convenient and affordable Chanel bag restorations by Australia’s best craftsmen, with free shipping to your door. This case study outlines how we recently restored a customer’s Chanel bag.
The bag
This Chanel messenger bag was in need of a refresh, with the gold hardware looking discoloured, the piping and chain strap worn and the inner lining stained. When the customer reached out to us for a free diagnosis/quote we offered to replace the piping and leather strap, re-plate the hardware, and restore the inner lining.
Hardware re-plating
We began by gently cleaning the hardware throughout the bag to remove any surface dirt / impurities from the metal. This also helps to ensure the metal to be plated is properly prepped — for the gold plating to properly bond to the hardware (rather than just rubbing off when touched). We then used special equipment to re-plate the hardware, using an electric charge to restore the colour with a layer of 24k gold on the surface. We repeated this process in multiple thin coats to achieve a durable and longer-lasting finish. Finally, we coated the hardware with a finishing / protecting agent to seal in the new plating.
Chain strap leather replacement
We began by detaching the chain strap from the body of the bag and carefully removing the damaged leather from the chain strap. We then sourced a fresh piece of leather similar to the original, cut strips of it and joined the leather together before threading it through the length of the chain — in this case, we retained the chain links themselves, as they were in good shape.
Piping replacement
We began by sourcing a fresh piece of leather based on the colour of the bag (the same leather we used for the strap). While damaged piping can be repaired with leather patches, the non-leather piping on this bag was beyond repair — with the surface having peeled away entirely. We deconstructed the bag in order to remove the material covering the old piping and then re-covered the harder internal plastic with new leather before stitching everything back into place.
Inner lining restoration
We began by cleaning and conditioning the leather lining and treating ink stains throughout the interior of the bag. This helped to lift out much of the dirt / debris from the surface of the leather and remove some — but not all — of the stains. We then proceeded to custom mix a colour based on the original colour of the lining and used that to recolour / refinish the leather interior — effectively concealing the remaining stains / discolouration and getting the interior looking much fresher.
Have a Chanel bag needing repair or restoration?
Our experienced craftsmen have been trusted by not only generations of Australians but also local and international brands (including Gucci and NET-A-PORTER) with the repair and restoration of luxury designer bags since 1955. If you have a beloved Chanel bag in need of repair or restoration, ask us for a free diagnosis/quote by completing our online order form — where you can upload photos of the bag and let us know exactly what you would like done to it, or let us advise you on what the bag need based on the photos.
SoleHeeled serves all of Australia through its free 2-way shipping service:
Order online: Answer a few questions to get an instant quote and complete your order.
Send your bag: Drop your bag off at a local post office for free packaging and shipping to us.
We repair: A team of experienced craftsmen will carefully repair your bag.
We return: We'll deliver your repaired bag to you, wherever you are in Australia.
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