- Insider’s show “Refurbished”Here’s a look at the process of restoring designer items.
- These range from sharpie-stained Chanel bag to dog-bitten Louboutin shoe.
- This video features 10 restoration professionals and shows how they restore items to their original glory.
The transcript of the video is below.
NarratorRestoring an item back in its original state can be a complicated and delicate task. You can make the task even more difficult if you have a high-end item. You will see 10 experts restore designer goods like sharpie-stained Chanel bags and dog-bitten Louboutin sneakers, as well as worn-out Louis Vuitton wallets. Each artist has their own method of restoring luxury goods.
Gerry Gallagher has been fixing luxury handbags since 1985. This Chanel GST worth $3,000 was accidentally burnt by a candle. Gerry replaced the damaged leather in the bag’s back pocket with caviar. This is the exact same leather that it was made with. Gerry stitches the bag together once the burned section has been replaced. Make sure that the sewing needle fits into the original holes.
Kim’s Shoe and Bag Repair is owned by Rio. He is currently restoring a pair Chanel ballet shoes. He begins by removing the heels plates using an opener. Next, he creates new rubber soles and glues the shoes on. So the suede has worn out, so he is redecorating it.
Handbag Clinic restores designer shoes and handbags. Sharpie was used to draw the white Chanel GST. Handbag Clinic artisan Chloe starts by applying a special ink remover that will contain the spread of ink. She then colors match paint to the original color of her bag. It is crucial to match the colors of the parts that have been restored with the original. Chloe lightly airbrushes the leather to preserve its texture.
Rago Brothers Shoe & Leather Repair restores shoes and leather goods. The Louboutins cost $1,000 and were chewed up by a pet. The team takes out the upper and rebuilds it. The team heats up the new patent leather to make it more malleable, and then they stretch it over the upper of the shoe. The platform is then reattached.
Heath Potter is a professional cobbler and a co-founder of Potter & Sons. The soles of the Ferragamo loafers were worn by the owner. Heath replaces this outsole with German pittanned leather. It is waterproof and long-lasting. He then stitches the shoes and presses the button.
Vince’s Village Cobbler’s owner is Vincent Rao Jr. These Louboutins’ famous red-painted bottoms are now worn out. Vincent adds a rubber protector to his sole to protect it. It will last longer that the original red paint.
Handbag Clinic’s Daniel James is renovating a Louis Vuitton vanity bag. Due to years of usage, the interior lining had begun to deteriorate. He creates patterns from the pieces and then replaces them with pigskin. The case’s metal corners are worn. Daniel uses a special electricity-conducting pen to replate the metal.
Gerry Gallagher restores a Chanel flap bag. The bag was badly burned by an incandescent lightbulb. In order to keep the majority of the original bag, he cuts only the damaged leather. He makes a new piece using caviar leather. He strips the leather until it is paper thin. He transfers the leather from the original to the bag by laying it on top.
Bag Remake Studio is Shonan’s Japanese workshop that repairs designer bags. Due to heavy usage, the leather of this Louis Vuitton bag has begun to turn yellow. The wallet’s artist color matches the wallet, and the artist slowly paints over the areas that have become discolored. Because it is the most frequently touched, the leather around the edges is starting to peel. An edge coat seals the leather. This will protect corners from further damage or peeling.
Rio restores a pair Gucci sneakers worth $680. The metallic green panel at the back of the shoes has begun to peel. Rio uses leather glue to glue the peeled parts back on. To fill in the areas that are fading, he uses a small paintbrush. He then finishes by spraying white paint over the sneakers to fix any scuffed areas.