- Can it be fixed?
- Usually – especially when it broke at the stitching or the attachment point.
- Safe to fix yourself?
- Only as a stopgap. Glue and craft thread rarely hold a bag’s weight for long.
- What decides the cost?
- Where it broke, the leather, the hardware, and whether the strap is repaired or replaced.
- Mail it in?
- Yes, from anywhere in the US.
- While you wait?
- Some small repairs, yes. Call ahead.
Which problem is it?
Look at exactly where the strap gave out, because that points to the repair.
Stitching came undone
The thread at the end of the strap or around a loop has worn or snapped, but the leather is still solid. This is often the most straightforward case: the seam is stitched again and the strap is secured once more.
Leather tore at the ring
Where leather wraps around a metal ring or clip, it carries all the weight and wears through first. If the rest of the strap is solid, the worn end can often be repaired and attached again.
Cracked along the strap
Dry or thin leather can crack across the strap, often where it bends over your shoulder. Once it has cracked through, or is cracking in several places, a new strap usually makes more sense than a patch.
Tab tore off the bag
Sometimes the strap is fine and the tab or loop it hangs from has torn away from the bag. Then the repair is on the bag body itself, so send a photo of that area as well.
What to do right now.
- Stop carrying the bag by the broken side, and take out heavy items so the other side doesn’t give way too.
- Keep every loose piece, such as the ring, clasp, screw or torn end, in a small bag.
- Photograph the whole bag, the break up close and the spot where the strap attaches.
What not to do.
- Don’t super glue the leather, because the glue hardens, cracks and has to be removed before a stitched repair.
- Don’t tie a knot in the strap or punch new holes, which can ruin leather that could have been saved.
- Don’t keep using a cracked strap until it snaps, since it can fail without warning and drop your bag.
When it’s not worth repairing.
If the bag was inexpensive and the strap is bonded or coated material peeling apart, a repair can cost more than the bag is worth. The same goes when the whole bag is cracking and peeling. In those cases a new bag usually makes more sense. A good leather bag with one broken strap, though, is usually worth fixing.
How we fix it.
- We look at the break, the leather around it and the hardware, and tell you whether re-stitching, reattaching or a new strap makes sense.
- For a seam or attachment failure, we re-stitch the strap and secure it back to its ring or tab.
- If the strap is too worn to save, we replace it and match the leather color as closely as possible.
- If the tab tore out of the bag, we repair that area too, with patching or re-stitching as needed.
