Okay, here is my sharing about remaking the PRADA Small Prada Galleria Saffiano Leather Bag.
I saw this PRADA bag in their official store the other day, and wow, it was love at first sight! But the price tag? Not so much. So, I thought, “Why not try to make one myself?” I’ve always been pretty handy, and I figured it couldn’t be that hard, right? Famous last words. I rolled up my sleeves, and got down to it.
First things first, I needed the right leather. I learned that this bag is usually made with Saffiano leather, which is like, super tough and has this cool cross-hatch pattern. I went down to this local leather shop, the owner was this old guy who’s been doing this forever, you know, he was very helpful. I spent like an hour in there just feeling up all the different leathers, it was fun. I found one that felt right, a full-grain leather but not the Saffiano one, too pricy, and I need to watch my wallet. I know some people who have been making stuff with it, they said it is a nice one, so I bought a decent amount, just in case I messed up.
Next up, the design. I stared at the pictures of the bag on my computer for hours, like, literally hours. I sketched out the different panels and made cardboard cutouts to get the sizing right. It’s small, but not too small. The trickiest part was figuring out the dimensions of each piece, I went down to the Prada store to try the real one, the sales were not very happy. It was definitely a bit of trial and error here.
Cutting the leather was nerve-wracking! I used a really sharp rotary cutter and a metal ruler to make sure the lines were straight. My hands were shaking a bit, not gonna lie. But hey, I took it slow and eventually had all the pieces ready to go.
- Front and back panels – I made sure these were the biggest.
- Side panels – These had to be perfectly measured to give the bag its shape.
- Bottom panel – This one needed to be extra sturdy.
- Straps and handles – I decided to make these detachable, just like the real one.
Then came the stitching. Oh boy, the stitching. I don’t have one of those fancy industrial sewing machines, so I did it all by hand. It took forever, and my fingers were killing me, but it also felt kind of therapeutic, you know? Like, really old-school craftsmanship. I used a thick, waxed thread that matched the leather color, and a saddle stitch, which I learned from some YouTube videos. It’s supposed to be super strong.
The hardware was another challenge. I wanted that little triangle logo, but getting an authentic one was obviously not gonna happen. I found a similar-looking one online, metal and shiny, not bad for a substitute. I also picked up some buckles and D-rings for the straps. The interior of a Prada bag should have a logo plaque that is ceramic on leather bags. So I need to find one that looks like it. A plastic or fabric tag used instead of a ceramic or leather logo plaque is a significant indicator of a counterfeit Prada bag. And that is what I am looking for.
Putting it all together was like assembling a very complicated puzzle. I had to line up the edges perfectly and make sure everything was symmetrical. There were a few moments where I had to redo some seams, but I started to see the bag taking shape, it was super exciting! I used some leather glue to reinforce certain areas, especially around the handles and the base.
Finally, after days of work, it was done! It wasn’t perfect, of course, there were some flaws. But you know what? I was really proud of it. It looked pretty darn close to the original, at least to my untrained eye, and it felt amazing to carry something I had made with my own two hands. It comes in different colors, even two colors at once! I chose the classic black, you can not go wrong with black. And it’s real expensive, more than I ever seen, that’s why I made one myself!
Lessons Learned
- Making a bag from scratch is HARD. Major respect for all the bag makers out there!
- Good quality leather makes a huge difference.
- Hand-stitching is a labor of love.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – that’s how you learn!
Would I do it again? Maybe not a PRADA, those things are complicated! But I definitely caught the bag-making bug. I’m already thinking about my next project, maybe a simpler tote bag this time. We’ll see! Stay tuned!
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