Chanel boy so black hardware fade
- Thread starter little998
- Start date
Unless you can get Chanel to repair/replace the hardware, I know of no way to repair this finish.
Most of the "Black" finishes applied to chains, closures, hardware, etc. are either a form of plating or anodization and will eventually wear/rub off exposing the underlying metal and allowing it to show.
This is so unfortunate as I know the look is so beautiful.
Most of the "Black" finishes applied to chains, closures, hardware, etc. are either a form of plating or anodization and will eventually wear/rub off exposing the underlying metal and allowing it to show.
This is so unfortunate as I know the look is so beautiful.
Unless you can get Chanel to repair/replace the hardware, I know of no way to repair this finish.
Most of the "Black" finishes applied to chains, closures, hardware, etc. are either a form of plating or anodization and will eventually wear/rub off exposing the underlying metal and allowing it to show.
This is so unfortunate as I know the look is so beautiful.
So sad for me too. Thanks for your reply
I feel so sad for you as I know this look is so beautiful when new. 
I wish you would call try and call Chanel and see if they would offer to do a replacement of the affected hardware.
This is simply not cool when someone spends so much money on a beautiful bag only to have the hardware tarnish or the plating wear through.
I wish you would call try and call Chanel and see if they would offer to do a replacement of the affected hardware.
This is simply not cool when someone spends so much money on a beautiful bag only to have the hardware tarnish or the plating wear through.
It's quite make me sad. However I still fall in love with itI feel so sad for you as I know this look is so beautiful when new.
I wish you would call try and call Chanel and see if they would offer to do a replacement of the affected hardware.
This is simply not cool when someone spends so much money on a beautiful bag only to have the hardware tarnish or the plating wear through.
Thanks for your reply
Do you mind sharing how old is the bag? I recently bought a so black coco so just want to prep myself mentally when/if this happens, thanks
my bag is holo 24 series (year 2017). Other parts are still good.
I had the same problem with a so-black chevron lambskin med flap (21 series) that I hardly used. Took the flap out of its dust bag one day and the black coating literally turned to dust flakes at the CC clasp. Sent the bag in, paid and replaced the CC and sold off the flap. Maybe you can request to change the straps?
I wish Chanel would spend some money it earned to come up with a lasting and hardy black hardware, instead of always saying its due to oxidization/wear & tear etc.
I wish Chanel would spend some money it earned to come up with a lasting and hardy black hardware, instead of always saying its due to oxidization/wear & tear etc.
Last edited:
I had the same boy bag when it first came out. It happened within the 8 months of purchase. I just took it out of its dust bag one day and lo and behold, a big chunk of paint came off of the CC clasp. I sent it in for repair. It took 6 months of back and forth until they told me they couldn't repair or replace it and gave me store credit instead. This was before Chanel decided they were going to make more so black bags and so they didn't have a similar clasp to replace it with. Pretty sure they are able to replace it for you now if you send it in.
The purchase is within five years, so you should be able to reach out to your SA to resolve the issue. If it happens after five years, you might be able to reach out to Leather Surgeons in the future. I'm not sure if they can fix this issue, but I've had them do amazing work on bags I thought were ruined. This is so unfortunate, as I just purchased two so black bags after having an issue with ruthenium. I have a 2016 green boy bag with ruthenium and the hardware starting peeling off like tape!! Fortunately, they were able to replace it, but I have been much more careful with this type of hardware since this incident. The ruthenium can peel, and the so black and gold can wear off. I guess I will be purchasing mostly silver from now on....sorry this happened to you!!
I purchased the So Black Chevron reissue mini from 20A collection last week. After seeing this thread and some posts I'm torn on whether to keep or return.
So from my understanding the black hardware is an anodized coating. This makes is susceptible to chipping and fading (or changing colour - e.g. all of my So Blacks developed a slight rainbow effect especially on the parts where the chain links touched each other). There basically is no other way to produce black shiny hardware as far as I know (other than using plastic or rubber which would come with its own cons), so I fear this is the risk we have to live with. I usually only touch up small cracks myself but it doesn’t really bother me anymore. I’ve never had problems with the closure, though, only the chain links.
What? Even ruthenium peel too?! I have a boy with this hardware for a couple of years. So far no peeling but I did notice that the chain was marking up my white shirt when worn crossbody. I never noticed marks on my other shirts before but I never wore a white shirt with it. I hope it’s not the beginning of the chain falling apart. Yikes!