Why bags peel
Most bags that peel are not peeling leather. They are PU or coated material: a thin coloured layer bonded over a fabric base. Moisture in the air slowly breaks that bond, and the layer lifts off in flakes. It happens to bags that are carried every day and to bags that have sat in a cupboard for three years — a Mumbai monsoon does the work either way.
Real leather rarely peels. What can flake on leather is the colour coat on top of it, usually at corners, handles and wherever the bag rubs against you.
What can be done
- The finish is flaking on real leather. The surface is cleaned, prepared and recoloured. This is recolouring, and it is the simplest of the four.
- The handles, straps or piping are peeling and the body is fine. These go first because they are handled most. We replace the part and keep the bag.
- One or two panels are peeling. The coating cannot be put back, so the panel is replaced — a material change, keeping the original construction.
- The whole body is peeling. The bag is made new, using the original hardware and fittings that are still good.
What does not work
- Glue, tape or nail polish over the peel — it lifts again, and takes more with it
- Fabric paint or shoe polish — it sits on top of a surface that is still coming off
- Conditioner — it feeds leather; it cannot re-bond a coating
Is it worth doing?
That depends on the bag. Good hardware, a shape you cannot buy any more, or a bag that simply matters to you are all reasons to do it. If the work would cost more than the bag deserves, we will say so — send photographs and ask.