Every issue, at the bench.

What we'll tell you honestly: Cleaning lifts surface dirt, dye transfer and shallow staining where the material allows. Deeper damage — cracks, peeling, structural wear — needs a different service; see Restoration & Refurbishment.

What we inspect first: How far staining has penetrated; whether any current surface damage needs addressing before cleaning can hold; whether the leather is dry enough to benefit from conditioning afterwards.

What we'll tell you honestly: Odour reduces; it does not always eliminate. Some materials — notably LV canvas adhesives — hold odour that resists further treatment. Waterproofing is the closing protective coat, not a standalone service. Mold can recur in humid storage, which is why this service does not carry a warranty against return.

What we inspect first: Whether odour is surface or embedded; whether mold has reached the stitching or interior structure; storage conditions the piece will return to, since that drives whether waterproofing buys you weeks or months.

What we'll tell you honestly: Colour is hand-mixed per piece — an exact match to the original factory dye isn't guaranteed. Structural repair holds where the leather at the anchor is still intact; severely degraded panels need replacement instead. On combined work, partial replacement on aged pieces carries a tone-match risk; we walk you through the realistic outcome before any work starts.

What we inspect first: Which individual disciplines the piece actually needs — not always all three. Whether any structural issue must resolve before surface or colour work will hold. The realistic combined outcome, given the current condition.

What we'll tell you honestly: We no longer offer Vachetta cleaning-restoration as a standalone service — for yellowing, staining or darkening that hasn't yet passed the restoration threshold, see Restoration & Refurbishment. New vachetta panels carry a tone-match risk against aged adjacent leather; the two rarely sit the same shade out of the workshop.

What we inspect first: Depth of oxidation and whether cracking has reached the stress points; whether the leather adjacent to the worn panel is intact enough to hold a replacement alongside it without lifting at the seam.

What we'll tell you honestly: A replaced handle starts fresh and will wear in over time, the same way the original did. Replacement leather is matched as closely as we can; identical material from the original supply chain is rarely available. Custom straps carry a 15–30 day lead.

What we inspect first: Whether the handle can be rebuilt from its current state, or whether replacement is the only lasting option; hardware condition at the D-rings and clochette.

What we'll tell you honestly: Panel replacement on exotic is not part of this line — where a scale section has split through or a panel is past restoration, replacement lives under Leather, Fabric, Nylon, Suede & Canvas Damage Replacement. Colour re-fixing on exotic carries higher tone-match variance than smooth leather; we walk you through the realistic outcome before any work starts.

What we inspect first: Whether scales have lifted only at the surface or the substrate underneath is compromised; how the original dye has aged; whether the piece has been refinished previously, since some prior treatments rule out further restoration.

What we'll tell you honestly: This is not re-plating. Where the plating has worn through to the base metal, polishing won't bring it back — that's stripping-and-replating territory; see 24K Gold Re-Plating, Platinum & Hardware Replacement. Deep scratches and dents may still read faintly after polishing; the goal is a clean original finish, not factory-new.

What we inspect first: Depth of scratches and whether the plating has worn through; how the original finish has dulled (oxidation vs surface contamination); whether the hardware can be cleanly demounted for treatment without disturbing the leather around it.

What we'll tell you honestly: Past the micro-crack stage, Patent cannot be cleanly restored — once the hide has split through the lacquer, or where panels have fused permanently to each other in storage, the surface is past intervention. Re-coated lacquer on aged hide does not always sit identical to the original factory finish. We tell you which areas are workable before quoting.

What we inspect first: Depth of yellowing — lacquer-deep or into the hide below; location of any stickiness — surface touch-point or full-panel fusion; the micro-crack pattern — radial at corners signals mechanical stress, linear along straps signals flex fatigue.

What we'll tell you honestly: If the plating is intact and you only need polish or scratch-smoothing, see Metallic Restoration & Refurbishment — that's the lighter-touch service. Re-plating is whole-piece by necessity; partial plating leaves a visible line where finishes meet. Some original-spec parts are no longer manufactured — for those we fit a bespoke piece, which carries lead time.

What we inspect first: Whether the plating has worn through far enough to require stripping, or whether polishing alone would do; condition of hardware at attachment points; whether the leather around the hardware is intact enough to hold replacement parts cleanly.

What we'll tell you honestly: Customisation is per-brief: we cost and time it after we see the piece and understand the goal. Bespoke parts carry their own lead times. On aged pieces, working around oxidation may require deeper replacement than first planned.

What we inspect first: The current condition of the piece; whether the brief is achievable as described, or whether ageing or structural issues will change the scope; what bespoke components are needed and whether they require sourcing.

What we'll tell you honestly: Replacement panels are matched as closely as we can source. On aged pieces, the un-replaced panels remain susceptible to the same oxidation that necessitated the swap — we tell you which areas to watch. Identical material from the original supply chain is rarely available.

What we inspect first: Which panels are past restoration threshold; whether adjacent panels show early oxidation that may require attention before or alongside the replacement; whether the structural frame underneath the panel is sound.

What we'll tell you honestly: Edge oil is matched to the original colour; where the original formulation has been discontinued, the re-laid oil may read slightly different in direct light. The new edge follows the original line — it is not a shape change.

What we inspect first: How far the edge oil has cracked or separated; whether the leather core underneath is dry or compromised and needs conditioning before re-laying.

What we'll tell you honestly: Interior glue oxidation — the sticky lining caused by ageing adhesive — cannot be reversed by cleaning; rebuilding the lining is the only lasting fix. We preserve original labels and pocket structure where possible, not in all cases.

What we inspect first: Whether stickiness is surface contamination or adhesive oxidation; whether any mold has reached the lining and needs treating before the rebuild.

What we'll tell you honestly: Thread colour and weight are matched as closely as possible — a thread sourced outside the original supply chain reads slightly different under close inspection. Large zips, locks and big clasps are not in scope here — those go to 24K Gold Re-Plating, Platinum & Hardware Replacement. Where the leather at the stitch channel has torn through, sewing alone won't hold.

What we inspect first: Where the stitch line has broken; whether the separation is cosmetic or has gone deeper; whether leather at the stitch channel is intact enough to hold new stitching; condition of any small closures involved.

What we'll tell you honestly: This isn't a full cobbler line — orthopedic builds, custom shoemaking and athletic / glued construction are not within our craft. Sole and heel material is matched as closely as we can source; identical original-supplier material is rarely available. Lead times mirror bag work — quoted on inspection.

What we inspect first: Whether the sole or heel can be cleanly removed without damaging the upper; condition of the welt and any inner stitching; whether the heel surface needs partial restoration or full re-cover.