Alright, so, I’ve been obsessed with this PRADA Cahier bag for a while now. I mean, who isn’t, right? It’s gorgeous! But, the price tag? Ouch. It’s like, $4400 or something crazy like that. I saw it on some website, and I was like, “Yeah, no, that’s not happening.” I mean, I love it, but not that much. So, I started thinking, maybe I can find it second-hand. That’s usually a good way to get a deal, right?
So I started scouring the internet, looking for a used one. I checked out a couple of websites, one was called Vestiaire Collective, they had some but they were still super expensive! I spent hours going through these listings.
Then, it hit me! Why not try to remake it? I’m pretty crafty, and I figured, how hard could it be? It’s mostly just leather and metal, right? Famous last words. I was totally clueless.
First, I needed a plan. I spent hours on the internet looking at pictures of the bag, I got a pretty good idea of the construction and the materials I’d need.
Next, I had to find materials. This was harder than I thought it would be. I went to a bunch of different fabric stores, trying to find the right kind of leather. It had to be the right color, the right texture, everything. I think I spent about two weeks and drove to like five cities just looking for the leather. I finally found some that was pretty close, but it wasn’t perfect. I also had to find the metal hardware, which was another whole adventure. It is a time consuming thing to find the right one.
Then came the actual construction. I had to make a pattern first, so I measured everything out and cut it out of some scrap fabric. That took forever, and I had to redo it like a million times to get it right. Then, finally, I started cutting and sewing the actual leather. I’ve used a sewing machine before so it was not too bad, but it was still super slow going. I had to be so careful to make sure everything was perfect. It took so many attempts to make sure the stitches are straight. Then I assembled all the pieces together, I tried several times to put the metal on, but it did not work well with the leather.
- Find the Materials
- Create the Pattern
- Cutting and Sewing
- Assemble the Pieces
After many, many, many hours of work, I finally finished it! It wasn’t exactly like the original, but it was pretty darn close. And you know what? I was so proud of myself! I had made my own PRADA Cahier bag! Or, at least, a pretty good replica of one. To be honest, it was a pain in the butt to make. And it probably cost me more in time and materials than just buying a used one.
My Final Product
In the end, I did it. I remade a PRADA Cahier bag. It was a ton of work, but I learned a lot, and I have a pretty cool bag to show for it. Would I do it again? Probably not. But it was definitely an experience I’ll never forget. And hey, at least I can say I made it myself, right? Who needs to spend $4400 when you can just DIY it? Sort of. Haha!
Click to consult