Mike Adler – Leather Love Restore and Repair

28th January 2021

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I have always said to my clients that fabric is meant to move. That silk will crush, crease, fold and pleat when worn—leather will fade, scuff, buckle, soften and wear. If left stagnant, it remains on its hanger or packed away, defeating the purpose of its design to be worn, loved and lived in.

But what of when we have worn these pieces to a point of no return, can anything be done to give them new life?

Whilst there has been a big trend in upcycling, taking our much loved pieces and re designing or repurposing the piece into something new, what of a literal repair and restore so the piece isn’t just mended over, but brought back to its original, brand new—in the box—retail-as-new condition of yesteryear? Like opening the packaging for the very first time!

I first saw The Restory on social media and would have not quite believed the service without witnessing their video feed for myself. As a stylist, I own some beautiful designer pieces which I returned to the designer’s store for cleaning or repair, only to find that the cobbler used by the brand had just slapped a similar shade of paint over a scuff mark or inserted a new logo pin which is on its fourth identical replacement. So how is The Restory any different?

In viewing one of the many detailed videos of an in-house repair, I thought to send in my own images of a well needed repair for a quote. I watched videos of a Hermes reconstruction, each piece delicately unstitched, restored, glued, and reconstructed by hand, stitched, and polished—a Louboutin re heel, soled, painted and polished, Chanel embellishments colour matched and delicately re applied by hand—but then of my own? Having previously taken my luxury bag to numerous cobblers and repair specialists, well informed, I knew that my job required a leather match not easily sourced—likely from within the Louis Vuitton atelier itself. I was so pleased to see a rather lengthy leather sourcing service of 8 weeks at £45 and re make of 6-8 weeks approximating of £140-175, assuring me that the service was indeed as I would have expected for a bag with a price tag of a few thousand pounds.

With the in-house team taking considerable lengths to exact match fabrics, paint colours, textures and hand details, an on demand same day collection service from London and overnight from anywhere else in the world The Restory’s global success for comprehensive restore, repair and modern aftercare service of luxury fashion has been well documented in Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair and Drapers, with partnerships with Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols for an easy optional drop in service.

For specialist cleaning, mould removal, tab, loop, buckle repair, colour restoration, piping, binding, tassel and leather restoration, embellishment, paint or re stitch, I am pleased to recommend The Restory atelier service in restoring your most delicate, luxury and loved items back to brand new. With many case studies, videos and testimonials to view and an easy online booking quote and collection service the philosophy of leather aftercare is at the very foundation of chooserealleather.com, and my own—ensuring the longevity and sustainability of our leather loves!

For more information check out The Restory here.

Image Credits: Nicole Markhoff