are hand sewn bags better?
- Thread starter discoblue
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I think they're partly handmade and partly done by machine - it would be impossible to produce that many goods each year if they were all sewn by hand.
Hello, my Dear PurseForum Friends.
Just to help everyone out (and to add to Stormy Heart's wonderful input on handmade bags).
Just to let everyone know, most of Louis Vuitton's handbags are machine made, especially their canvas handbags and such. (The handles, however, are entirely hand-stitched, which lends to their resilience). Some of their leather handbags are entirely handcrafted (if memory serves me right, Epi and some others are handmade).
To name a few manufacturers of handmade handbags, their are (as mentioned above) - Tod's, Hermès, April in Paris (a former employee of Hermès), Valextra, VBH (at least to my knowledge), Henry Beguelin, Goyard and then some (there are quite a few, but not as many as you may think).
Anyhow. just to add to some of Stormy Heart's details about handstitching a handbag, most people could never imagine the amount of labour it takes to make even a simple clutch. Each stitch must be especially perfect in tension and thickness of thread. Depending on the weight/thickness of leather, even the holes pierced into the leather must change (at least for me it does). Hand-waxed thread is used to ensure perfection (too little and the thread will unravel - too much and you'll have globules of wax laying everywhere). The edges where the many pieces of leather meet are often slowly thinned by hand with a sharp instrument, then meticulously hand-painted with a plethora of liquids to keep the leather from drying out, and ensuring a wonderful finish. There can be several thousand hand-pierced holes and stitches in one hand-made bag alone, each perfect and in coordination. It can often take several days just to create one bag or small accessory (depending on complexity and ease of material).
Pretty much, as Stormy Heart's husband noted, if it looks like it can hold water - that is the ultimate compliment.
I hope this reply hasn't turned into some sort of thesis paper...
I'm sorry for anyone who ends-up not having eaten for days from reading this long...long...long post...
Just to help everyone out (and to add to Stormy Heart's wonderful input on handmade bags).
Just to let everyone know, most of Louis Vuitton's handbags are machine made, especially their canvas handbags and such. (The handles, however, are entirely hand-stitched, which lends to their resilience). Some of their leather handbags are entirely handcrafted (if memory serves me right, Epi and some others are handmade).
To name a few manufacturers of handmade handbags, their are (as mentioned above) - Tod's, Hermès, April in Paris (a former employee of Hermès), Valextra, VBH (at least to my knowledge), Henry Beguelin, Goyard and then some (there are quite a few, but not as many as you may think).
Anyhow. just to add to some of Stormy Heart's details about handstitching a handbag, most people could never imagine the amount of labour it takes to make even a simple clutch. Each stitch must be especially perfect in tension and thickness of thread. Depending on the weight/thickness of leather, even the holes pierced into the leather must change (at least for me it does). Hand-waxed thread is used to ensure perfection (too little and the thread will unravel - too much and you'll have globules of wax laying everywhere). The edges where the many pieces of leather meet are often slowly thinned by hand with a sharp instrument, then meticulously hand-painted with a plethora of liquids to keep the leather from drying out, and ensuring a wonderful finish. There can be several thousand hand-pierced holes and stitches in one hand-made bag alone, each perfect and in coordination. It can often take several days just to create one bag or small accessory (depending on complexity and ease of material).
Pretty much, as Stormy Heart's husband noted, if it looks like it can hold water - that is the ultimate compliment.
I hope this reply hasn't turned into some sort of thesis paper...
I'm sorry for anyone who ends-up not having eaten for days from reading this long...long...long post...
I LOVE YOUR LONG POSTS ! You are always enlightening
**My collection of antique French awls are my secret treasures.
truly it is an enligtening post especially stormy hearts and chiffre i always thought a hand sewn bag is an excellent peice of art with that lovely artists personal touch and love and pride invested in it(probably i am more into literature so could only look at it artistically) and is a pride to carry branded or not that does not matter i have a hand sewn bag that i got from algiria once it is of anaconda skin and i love it
I LOVE YOUR LONG POSTS ! You are always enlightening
**My collection of antique French awls are my secret treasures.
I would love to own a set of antique french awls. Mine aren't that special (i.e. your traditional awls). I think my most favoured item would be my very, very old leather scissors. I swear, they could slice a ray of sunshine.
Thank you for this great summary.
What about Pierre Hardy--does any one knows?
Piero Tucci bags are all handmade.
