Just My Handbag: Handbags, Designer Handbags

Handmade Handbags - yes, you can make your own

February 23rd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Feeling craft? If you can’t afford a Dior handbag, why not make your own? Or failing that, have one made for you by a craftsman.

As a lost art form, the making of handbags ranks right up there. There are very few people or organizations that produce true handmade handbags. The majority of handbags, even custom bags, are mostly manufactured or mass-produced with some handcrafted elements being added after the bag has been constructed. Some labels may use the words handmade handbags to refer to sweatshop sewing and construction of the bag materials itself. These handmade handbags are actually mass-produced and each bag is basically identical. Therefore, the use of the term, handmade handbags, may be considered by many to be inappropriate in such cases.

True Handcrafted Handbags

Truly handmade handbags are those that are made by tailors and other craftspeople using all the materials from scratch. That means that they cut the leather or other fabric by hand, they manually sew the material together, and then they manually add the other components such as zippers, handles and additional pockets. Such handmade handbags are hard to find in the mass markets but would most likely be found at craft shows and in countries where in both cases the materials are special and require personalized care to produce, or there is simply no capability available other than the use of hands.

Handmade handbags may include specially made items such as those that are made of beads or using hand woven fabrics such as goat hair or papaya roots. Many of the best straw bags are, indeed, handmade from start to finish and have unique designs on them. Handmade handbags of this form are likely to be quite expensive and are certainly not mass-produced. Each bag is more than likely unique in some fashion.

Handcrafted Add-Ons

The vast majority of handmade handbags are considered to be handmade solely based on the add-ons that are added once the bag has been assembled. For instance, a manufacturer can take a mass produced bag and add rhinestones, or custom made handles. Additional items can added to the purse such as an additional hidden pocket or a special lining. These handmade handbags should be carefully examined to make sure that the price that is being requested matches the actual level of production for the bag. Materials for add-ons are typically not very expensive unless one starts adding real gems and other precious elements to the bag.

Another form of customization is adding a name or other affectation in the form of embroidery or added material. All of these forms of customization may lead the seller to label the bag handmade. As with all purchases the buyer should be aware when purchasing handmade handbags and carefully inspect the proposed purchase before handing over the money.