Earlier
this year, Coach marked its seventy-fifth anniversary. As a tribute to their history and
craftsmanship the handbag brand rereleased a vintage capsule with three of its
most iconic styles: the Dinky, the Saddle Bag and the Slim Satchel. What caught
my attention is that the brand scavenged flea markets, secondhand stores, and
online auction sites to buy back their vintage gems. After acquiring a good amount of bags from
the 70’s and 80’s they were sent to a restoration factory in Montana before
going back to New York for unique-one-of-a-kind-modern details. They added suede stripes, leather patches or
fringe to give the vintage bags a modern vibe while still keeping the integrity
of the vintage shape. Then the newly restored bags went up for sale exclusively
at Barney’s with a special collectors tag next to the coach creed. These bags are currently up for sale and range
from $595 - $1195. When I read the press
release on this I seriously couldn’t help, but smile because I love
refurbishing vintage leather purses. To
see a popular brand like Coach take such a creative, thoughtful approach to
commemorate their diamond anniversary, made this thrift-store junkie heart of
mine do the Cha-Cha. Of course when I
saw the price tag, I realized that I would continue to be happy with my own
secondhand finds. However, I really hope
this becomes a trend among leading handbag designers because it’s just such a
good example of reusing and a great environmental practice.
I have
three Coach vintage purses of my own (none of which are the selected styles
above) and this weekend I spent some time refurbishing a crossbody that is a
minimalist’s dream. I found this baby
for eight dollars and in dire need of a makeover. She had a lot of scars from her journey, I
think she might date back to the seventies!
After welcoming her into the family I gave her a good inside cleaning using a toothbrush to reach the crevices then continued to the outside with Cadillac Boot and Shoe Care. After, I let her rest while she dried. I pondered what the best treatment for her
would be and looking at my supplies I figured a full black dye job needed to
occur to get rid of the lightening of the leather due to use. I don’t have the tools that a Coach
Restoration Factory does, but with my at home supplies I am excited for my new
to me bag. Bag restoration is one of my
hobbies and I do restore quite a few bags, but usually I resale them for a
profit. I just like the whole process of
taking something that was ready to be trashed and to restore it for another
chance at life. Finding them happy homes
gives me a sense of purpose (smile).
This bag was in good shape considering how old it is, it just had a lot of scratches to the leather and the corners had lost its blackness. But with a little tender love and care she looks as good as new!
You can read more about Coach's restoration capsule here: Coach Vintage.
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