Buckle repair on my 15 year old tote took 3 weeks and a shoemaker

My favorite leather tote from Florence finally snapped its buckle clasp after 15 years of daily use. I figured any bag repair place could swap it out, but every shop I called said they only handle zippers or stitching. A cobbler in Portland finally took it on and had to order a custom brass buckle from Italy, which added 2 weeks to the job. Total turnaround was 21 days and $85, but honestly the new buckle feels sturdier than the original. Has anyone else had luck getting hardware replaced on older designer bags, or is it just me hitting dead ends?}

2 comments

2 Comments

christophermurray17d ago

85 bucks for 20 years more use sounds like a steal... my strap took a month and cost more.

patricia38517d ago

Wait, a month for a strap that cost more than 85 bucks? That's wild. I've had straps arrive in two days for half that, so you definitely got the raw end of that deal. Hope it at least looks sharp, because that wait time alone would've had me losing my mind.