Repair — one thing has failed
The bag is fine and a part of it is not: a zip that will not close, a handle coming away, a torn pocket, a worn heel on a shoe. The part is mended or changed, and everything else is left alone.
See replace a part, stitching and lining and sole and heel.
Restore — the whole piece is tired
Nothing is broken, but the bag looks its age: the colour has faded, the corners are rubbed, the edges have cracked, the hardware is dull. Restoration is cleaning, colour, edges and hardware together, to bring the same bag back.
See dry cleaning, recolouring, edge colour and hardware.
Remake — the body cannot be saved
The material itself has failed — peeling all over, split, or gone brittle. Either the failed sections are replaced, or a new bag is made around the original hardware and fittings that are still good.
See material change and recreation / make new.
- You can point to the problem with one finger → repair
- You would describe it as “it just looks old” → restore
- The surface comes away when you touch it → remake
Most bags need a little of two
A zip and a recolour. A lining and new edges. That is normal, and it is why the final quote comes after we have the bag in hand — a photograph shows the outside, and half of most bags is inside.