Have you ever wondered why so many women spend their hard-earned money on designer handbags? It’s because a beautiful leather handbag is a unique statement of fashion savviness! It’s your choice of bag that makes you stand out from the crowd, and that’s why handbags are one of the luxury industry's most powerful products.
Craftsmanship means a lot, as a well-made bag should look as good a decade later as it did the day it was first used. However, when you use your favourite bag day in and day out… it’ll need repairs at some stage. That’s when you come see us at Shane Barr Shoe Repairs as handbag repairs are one of the many things we do exceptionally well!
It’s quite the investment
A designer handbag is much more than a statement of style. Many women would faint if they didn’t have their handbag with them. They’d feel naked! That could be a real problem unless you’re Kate Moss who happily stripped off for Versace in 2013 and posed completely nude except for three strategically placed colourful quilted Vanitas leather bags.
There are so many branded luxurious handbags on the market, and many women seem to be in dire need of owning at least one of them. Luis Vuitton, Hermès, Prada, Gucci, Michael Kors and Chanel bags are in high demand all over the world and seeing the price of them, collecting rare handbags can be a lucrative investment strategy.
The famous Summer in the City handbag sale at auction house Christie’s is where Birkin and Kelly bags, Louis Vuitton trunks, and vintage Chanel all come together to be bid upon. This is where the ultra-rich drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on some of the rarest bags ever made.
The most expensive bag ever auctioned at Christie’s was a Matte White Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin 30 with Diamond Hardware. It sold on November 29, 2017 at Christie’s Hong Kong for 2,980,000 HDK. That’s a whopping $532,000 NZ!
We’ve never seen anything quite that luxurious as that here at Shane Barr Shoe Repairs, but we do know that local ladies really love their designer handbags, too.
What about Kiwi fashionistas?
When it comes to buying stylish and trendy handbags, New Zealand women crave stunning styles and top quality, too. Popular brands in New Zealand are, alongside the above, Deadly Ponies, Saben, Karen Walker and Yu Mei.
Deadly Ponies is an uber cool Kiwi brand that’s synonymous with artisan quality, luxury leather, and design that pushes the boundaries. Some of the fancy materials they use are ethically sourced merino bulle lamb leather, deer nappa, and goat. Their vegan alternative is durable cactus leather.
Saben is a wonderful collection of sought-after handbags and accessories designed in New Zealand by artist, businesswoman and designer Roanne Jacobson. She launches a new collection each season that is playful in concept, with beautiful textured leathers and intuitively functional design.
Aotearoa’s best known designer Karen Walker launched her fashion label in 1989 when she was just 18 but rose to fame in 2000 when she debuted at New York Fashion Week and now her style is favoured by celebrities around the world. Her eyewear line is especially popular, but so are her fabulous handbags.
Luxury bag brand Yu Mei is a rising star. It was launched by Jessie Wong, who started designing bags out of necessity, as she couldn’t find bags that were both fashionable and practical enough to carry everything she needed while studying fashion at the Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin. She now has two flagship stores in Wellington and Auckland, and her bags are stocked by retailers across Australasia.
We should also include Briarwood bags in this post as for more than 20 years, this iconic New Zealand brand has been creating quality handbags that are effortlessly chic.
What we can do for you
If your favourite handbag needs some TLC, come see us in the Piccadilly Arcade as our team does all sorts of weird and wonderful repairs to bags. We can fix the handles and zips, stitch new hard wearing shiny leather onto original webbing, replace old leather that is falling apart, and add metal eyelets.
Our most common repairs include:
Shortening Shoulder straps
Punching holes in straps
New shoulder straps
Handles
Zip Repair
Zip Replacement
Magnetic Catches
Stitching
Even the highest quality handbags will succumb to general wear-and-tear at some point, especially if you carry it with you all the time. We promise to take good care of your beloved bag, and we use only the best products and trusted techniques for each item we receive.
We’ll begin with a consultation to assess the damage, diagnose what parts of your bag need treatment, and then we’ll determine the best way forward. We’re creative and experienced, and our attention to detail is second to none. Sometime even formulate our own restoration solutions to ensure the best results.
It’s not just luxury designer bags we look after and repair here at Shane Barr Shoe Repairs. We can make your wallets, clutches, tote bags, school bags, back packs, briefcases, and satchels look their absolute best. We can restore all styles of bags and materials including leather, canvas and suede.
Customer Comments
10/10
The repair on my bag was so good I couldn't even tell which strap had been broken. Lovely workmanship - thank you!
Anna
The job done was a bag repair. Mum was very happy with the result . She said
you couldn't even notice it had anything wrong with it.
So many thanks, one happy 93 year old, her bag is fixed and she is rearing to
use it.
Cathy - Tauranga
I would highly recommend you guys to anyone and in fact I always do! Your service and workmanship is excellent. I love the way you give new life to a tired pair of boots or shoes. You recently fixed my daughter's Deadly Ponies handbag. It will go on for another 5 years now easily.
Keep up the awesome work. Kind regards
Kristen