The Bag Repair and Restoration Industry is kinda like crypto or NFTs nowadays. What began as a considerable niche, soon caught on and saw many others attempt to jump on a creatively-charged and exciting scene.
Like many other niches, there is probably one contributor that is genre-defining among many similar creators. In Crypto there was bitcoin - and for classical music, there was Mozart, for example. In the Bag Repair and Restoration Industry, there is us - Honest Crafters.
There are many similar service providers on our little sunny island, so what actually makes Honest Crafters stand out? What gave us our credibility and longevity? Today, we have a list of 5 poignant differences that will help you understand why Honest Crafters are the trusted and preferred option for most luxury handbag repair and restoration.
1. Vachetta Leather Thickness & Stitching
For starters, let's look at this case study of the most mainstream popular luxury handbag brand in the world - Louis Vuitton.
This before/after example from one of our contemporaries feature the most popular LV bag no less, the LV Neverfull. With Honest Crafters' keen eye for detail and experience in the industry, we spotted some flaws in the restoration! Handbag collectors and lovers of branded goods choose Honest Crafters because they and we can spot issues such as these and we pay that extra care for the details that the luxury brands do.
So what exactly is the issue? Notice the circles on left in the original bag that their customer sent in, Louis Vuitton has carefully designed the canvas Vachetta Leather Trimming (the top rim) to cover the Monogram Flower nicely in half! Yet in the 'restoration', the new Vachetta Leather Trimming has obscured almost the entire flower.
That is not the only issue. Upon closer inspection, the stitchwork veers off Louis Vuitton's original stitching (notice it goes up and down, inconsistent with the indented line on the Vachetta Leather).
Now, look at Honest Crafter's very own Vachetta Replacement work! All the measurements and placements of the monogram to Vachetta leather are done to exactly match and preserve what was sent to us. Our customers' authentic items are preserved as much as possible to what was originally sent to us. Notice that even the stitchings are done to strictly match LV's original stitch work
Besides these, pay attention to the Vachetta Leather itself from now on when you see Honest Crafter's rescue work compared to our contemporaries. Not only is brand new Vachetta Leather used, but we use premium Vachetta (note the color tone and thickness, you will never spot a paper-thin Vachetta part from our after-service cases. We are not afraid to shine a spotlight on these details so you all can vouch for our standards yourselves.
2. Color Restoration Preserving Stitches/Logo
Next up, we are looking at Color restoration. Although one of our most popular services, it is also highly contested and popular among our contemporaries too! Today we won't focus on the general redye (we covered a unique case a while back!). Instead, we want to showcase just how hands-on our restoration works are!
While others may use huge airbrushes to efficiently carry out restorations, our talented Artisans meticulously hand-brushes the minute details and crevices with surgical precision. Check out the example below, the prestigious Hermes Kelly sent in for color restoration with a caveat - preserve original stitching.
--and that is exactly what Honest Crafters did. Notice how the original white stitches contrast starkly and beautifully against the redyed brown. Not a single drop of paint spilled and tarnished the stitches. THIS level of detail separates Honest Crafters from the rest.
3. Metallic Colors
Some of our customers wrote in for color restoration to a Matte finish, when their items are of a more unique metallic finish (not to be confused with patent leather). When we asked, "do you not want it restored to the original metallic color?"
The response was that they were told it was not possible as if it wasn't an option. Honest Crafters were shocked! It CAN be done and you all deserve to have it restored how it was originally supposed to be, not to be told it is not possible when Honest Crafters have been doing it all this while.
Check out these Hermes shoes that had their metallic sheen preserved while the stains were touched up by color restoration! While it is subject to assessment by our Specialists first, Honest Crafters are here to tell you that such metallic colour restoration is on the table.
4. Gold Plating
A little birdie told us our contemporaries may be a tad bit limited in their Gold-Plating offerings. All those lavish gold hardware found on your Chanel collection or unique LV bags that you want to be restored along with the leather parts? Honest Crafters can do the whole smorgasbord for you!
Not limited to the logo, we offer 18k and 24k Gold Plating for lock sets (including the mademoiselle lockset), the iconic Chanel Chain, and any other hardware parts you can think of!
Either classic 'CC' or Mademoiselle Chanel Locksets can be done! Both variants of the iconic Chanel Chain can be plated too (worth noting that it is the most difficult hardware to gold plate!).
5. Restoration By Design
This one is truly out of the left field. A niche service for an already niche industry. Honest Crafters covered all the bases. We understand the possibility that there could be even 1% of luxury bag owners, who would want a design that is one-of-a-kind, belonging to them and them alone. Made from the original parts of the bag sent in, reimagined into whatever design its owner wishes, executed by the creative problem solving of our Artisans.
None of our contemporaries are able to do such major repairs/replacements, so none offer a similar Restoration By Design service. For more information and a behind-the-scenes look, check out this blog post we previously published!
Sustainability Values
Last but not least, while this isn't a wholly unique point we can add to this list of claims - we feel that Honest Crafters provide such a holistic range of services because of our belief in Sustainability. Not just preserving the heritage workmanship of the premier brands, not just our customers' sentimental values - but to preserve and upcycle these precious materials as much as possible too!
Honest Crafters' services reflect this desire and passion for restoration to preserve our limited resources in this world. If you happen to share the same views, do check us out!
If you enjoyed reading this and want more, you can read our article on a RARE collector's item LV here! Alternatively, you can also learn more about us, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and even check us out on TikTok!
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