Alright, so the other day I was strolling by that fancy PRADA store, you know, the official one, and I saw this Small Prada Galleria Saffiano Special Edition Bag. It was so shiny and pretty, but man, the price tag! I thought to myself, “Hey, I bet I could make something like that.”
So, I went home and started digging around. I found some old leather pieces I had lying around from other projects. They weren’t the exact same Saffiano leather, but they were pretty close. And I figured, hey, who’s gonna know the difference, right?
First, I sketched out the design. I measured the bag in the store, took some pictures, and did my best to copy the shape and size. It’s a pretty simple design, mostly rectangles, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out.
- I cut out the leather pieces according to my sketch.
- Then, I started stitching them together. I used my trusty old sewing machine. It’s not the fanciest thing, but it gets the job done. I had to go slow, though, to make sure the stitches were straight and neat.
- The hardest part was probably the handles. I had to make sure they were sturdy enough to hold the weight of the bag. I ended up reinforcing them with some extra layers of leather.
- Once the main body of the bag was done, I added the lining. I used some nice fabric I found at a local store. I wanted something that would feel soft and luxurious.
- Finally, I added the hardware. I found some gold-colored buckles and a zipper online. They weren’t real gold, of course, but they looked pretty good.
It took me a few days, working on and off, but I finally finished it! And you know what? It actually turned out pretty darn good! It’s not an exact replica, of course, but it’s close enough. And it cost me way less than the real thing.
The Result
I’ve been using the bag for a few weeks now, and I’m really happy with it. It’s the perfect size for everyday use, and it holds everything I need. Plus, I get a kick out of telling people I made it myself. So, yeah, that’s my story of how I remade a PRADA bag. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I’ll try making another designer bag sometime. Who knows?
Click to consult