At Vintega, we work with the most qualified partners to highlight the second hand bags. Jonathan Rebouh, founder of Doc Bag, is one of them: he pampers and restores hand bags while enhancing their vintage look. Go behind the scenes of the world of luxury bags thanks to his anecdotes and advice!
Do you think a second-hand bag requires more maintenance than a new bag?
It's exactly the same principle as a jacket that you wear regularly and another jacket that you put on once or twice a year: it's the principle of wear. A sac vintage may lose water repellency, become more susceptible to wear and stains than a sac nine. It is therefore necessary to use the right products and to be careful about the content and the weather.
Despite the expertise, is there still a bit of doubt and pressure when you know you have a very valuable bag in your hands?
Yes, constantly! In my opinion, it is this self-questioning and this humility that make us work with caution whatever the situation. sac. It is a mixture of experience, mistakes made in the past, and confidence linked to the mastery of the subject. Repair is a special profession. We are obliged to take risks, otherwise, we might as well not embark on the restoration of a bag !
How do you know what to repair versus what is part of a vintage bag's identity and best left?
This is something I can do with my expertise. I detail everything that seems good to me to redo and leave the freedom to the customers to choose. They trust us because we have the know-how and the right products. Whether it is a complete coloring of a damaged leather, a change of handle or a simple cleaning of the canvas, the sacs vintage will just be renovated, brought up to date. At the end, the handbag will have regained its colors and its freshness, but still with its vintage touch!
What's the trickiest manipulation for you?
It depends on each sac. But it is true that the sacs Kelly vintage have a separate complexity. There are two ways to make a bag at Hermes : on the models Kelly who are between 50 and 70 years old, it is either a back-and-forth either from one saddle stitching. In other words, let a sac mounted upside down then turned over like a sock, i.e. a sac with an edge to edge seam, by hand. Only, for older models in pique-return on which the leather has dried out, it is very difficult to return the sac, which has become too rigid and is in danger of tearing. When a bellows is damaged, repairing it is therefore extremely complicated. More generally, all sacs vintage are delicate to renovate, especially those made of lambskin or calfskin which soak up dirt and grease.
Do you have a treasure chest with accessories to add to the bags?
I have my secret suppliers, where I can find small pieces from old jewelry stores Hermes. But it is true that this is the problem with our business today: it can be very difficult to find parts to make the changes. I try to keep old pieces that I replace most of the time. I collect them from sacs that are not repairable at all or on sacs that I buy knowing that they are not repairable.
What is the restoration that you have carried out and that has marked you the most?
A customer sent me a trunk Louis Vuitton, on which the brilliance of the brass jewelry has been worked on, and the interior and leather restored. We then added a cushion, because it was actually to turn the trunk into a doghouse!
Out of curiosity, what's the most expensive bag you've ever had?
It seems to me that it was a Kelly in a gold and diamond crocodile, which was to be worth nearly €350,000. When the customer asks you to shine his sac, it is better not to get the wrong product!!
Do you have any specific tips on bag maintenance? Any "incidents" that you often encounter that would be preventable?
This is quite a complicated question, because even searching the Internet, for 20 different questions, there are 20 different approaches. Depending on the type of stain, there are various solutions: you can leave a product on for 24 hours to absorb the fat, while for a stain of tomato sauce or cream, a simple wipe with a sponge may be enough. Other criteria come into play. For example, for a sac classic that you would like to polish, if you are a little manual, you can do it. But by not taking into account the specificity of the material, it is also possible to miss your shot... bag maintenance, it's really something special: there are drying times to respect, specific products to use. It is not specific to luxury bags, but with respect to bags from the big brands as Hermes, Chanel or Louis Vuitton, a restorer has a better knowledge of materials and finishes, so the approach is simpler compared to accessories with lesser-known materials. This is why you have to entrust your sacs valuable to a professional, a bit like a cashmere sweater that you would take to the dry cleaners for a dry wash. We also have our own little magic recipes, such as products, pasta that we make ourselves and that we use on exotic leathers, For example !
Won't restoring a bag complicate an authentication later?
It all depends on the Houses, but at Hermes for example, as long as you don't touch the sanglon with the letters and symbols of authentication, it's good. Over time, if the sanglon has been changed by a craftsman, authentication actually becomes more complex. But on a hermes bag like a sac Chanel, there are so many other elements to authenticate them that it does not stop me. I can also see if the sac has already passed through the hands of a craftsman, which parts have been changed and if they are the original jewellers.
Finally, can you tell us a bit about your background?
After a BEP and a CAP in Leather Goods at Ateliers Grégoire in Paris, I was spotted by Hermes to integrate their training. Once it was over, they offered to hire me. I then joined a workshop where I learned to make the hermes bags – Kelly, Constance, Evelyn, Bolide – then small leather goods. As I was on the move, I went to Japan for 3 months to do repairs – which was not at all the profession I was destined for. When I returned, I was working in the workshop Little h d’Hermès when I was approached by Moynat (former trunk makers) who were looking for a technical director: they needed real know-how to frame the manufacture of hand bags. I managed a workshop 10|Icon|11|Icon people I trained in working with precious materials. After 4 years, I wanted to start a business: my experience at the head of the Moynat workshops showed me that I had the ability to launch my own structure. This is how my restoration workshop was born.
Do you have questions about restoring your luxury bag or a doubt on how to best maintain your second hand bag ? Feel free to Contact us ! The team of experts With a rifle will put all his experience at your service.
