Hi everyone! I purchased the
Gucci Rajah Suede Bucket bag preloved from
Fashionphile and it arrived a few days ago. I did a little hack on it that may be helpful to you if you were interested in the bag but turned off due to the condition of the suede as it's only available in the preloved market or turned off by the long chain strap.
I do not have before pics other then the pics on the Fashionphile's site and unfortunately it doesn't show the details of the overall condition of the suede. The suede was not really damaged but more not cared for. Im sure the suede got abuse due to the length of the chain strap in combo with the height of the bag. I am 5ft 7in and the base of the bag hit pretty much the mid of my thighs. Im sure it swung around and made contact with many things and rubbed against the body more then the norm.
I did not like the condition of the suede so I did some research on suede care. I came across a forum on guys talking about their suede sneakers and how they bring them back to life. One mentioned using a clothes lint ball shaver to cut off the stringy fuzz on the suede. I thought it was a brilliant idea so I tried it. It worked like a charm and I am beyond pleased with the results.
Next I made the bag look more uniform in color and more fresh. I cleaned it with the Kiwi Suede Cleaner although there was no visible dirt. After I cleaned it with the suede cleaner, I sprayed it again and this time I let it be as I discovered the suede color was more vibrant if I sprayed and did not wipe or brush. My suede look darker in color which made it look more fresh and new.
Next I hacked the undetachable chain strap. I decided to use the red leather shoulder pad that is attached to the chain strap as a top handle. I connected my own O rings through the D ring at the end of the red leather shoulder pad and then thru the D ring on the side of the bag inside. Just that easily I created a top handle and the chain strap itself is draped inside the bag behind a loop of the leather drawstring to keep the chain position in 1 area inside the bag. I then added my gold chain strap to use as my shoulder strap. I ordered a blue with red stripe guitar strap that I can also use as a crossbody strap and when I do so, Im thinking about leaving the gold chain on as decoration.
I'm extra. Lol
Lastly I cut to size a piece of red felt material I had to line the bottom of the bag to help keep the beautiful interior clean. All my items are in SLGs so I should not get any stains, at lease from the items in the bag.
The tiger head is still gold but appears to have lost some of it's luster, but it's not bad at all. If anyone has a hack on shining that up, I'll love to hear about it.
Does anyone know what year this bag was released and what the retail price was back then?
I hope this inspires someone to be creative knowing you can usually find a way to restore an item and add your own personal touches.
Below is a pic of my Rajah, the suede shavings and an example of using the guitar strap with it. In the pic the green and red strap is shown just as an example (it's for my Ophidia Toiletry). I think it will look great with the blue and red version. I have the link to Fashionphile as well so you can see the before pics although viewing in person is different. I have a suede spray conditioner that I will be buying that is suppose to condition the suede and make it more fresh. In the pics it looks like it has faded spots however it's just the shift of the suede and how it's appearing in the pics. There are still some faint fuzz spots but barely.
This is an authentic GUCCI Suede Web Rajah Bucket Bag in Red. This stylish bag is crafted of navy blue suede leather with red patent leather trim. The handbag features a gold tone chain link shoulder strap with a patent leather shoulder pad and an embellished tiger head decorating the front. The...
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