r/InvisibleMending • u/Glittering_Moose_586 • 13d ago

Is this mendable?

I dry cleaned my favorite wool coat (with decorative faux leather buckles around the wrists and neck) the first time at home, and the decorative started to come off a bit. I then brought it to a professional cleaner (probably not the best location) and now the faux leather has completely come off. Is there any way to replace them with perhaps real leather trim (or another kind of material that can help keep this coat's unique style)? Thanks!

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u/antipenguinist 13d ago

if you have any leather workers around you, i’d commission one to make the replacement belts out of real leather. they can probably use the og hardware too.

not saying you couldn’t do it, but if you don’t work with leather already, you’ll have to get all the right tools and materials first and probably end up being a big investment, money and time-wise, for a result you might not want to look too experimental.

i’m not trying to be discouraging, though. i love when i get a new chance to repair something, but a truly invisible fix is probably better found from the hands of a professional.

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u/KittyLikesTuna 13d ago

I would recommend a cobbler as a good place to start looking. If their services include purse repair, you're probably solid. Good luck!

2

u/Common_Network_2432 13d ago

A shoe or saddle maker can help you with this. Or a cobbler. They have the knowhow and tools required for tooling leather.  Faux leather, the plastic kind, is always a cheap replacement for the real thing, and it never lasts as long. And it’s very environmentally unfriendly, too.  

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u/QuietVariety6089 13d ago

I would recommend re-using the hardware, and making canvas or wool pieces to replace the pleather - this way you'll actually be able to clean your coat again without having to remove the buckles - real leather would be nice, but wouldn't be much happier with standard dry cleaning than the plastic was ...