Chapter · 06 — Frequently Asked
A decade on Ubi Road, restoring the bags we are sent. A story of one bag, a dyeing kit from Seoul, and the quiet decision to do the work slowly.
Intake & Quotation
Everything we are asked before the bag arrives — turnaround, pricing, what to send, what to expect.
Send three clear photographs — front, back, and the area that concerns you most — by WhatsApp or email. You will receive a written assessment, a fixed quotation, and an honest opinion of whether the work is worth the spend.
For complex or vintage pieces, we will ask for the bag to be brought in for a closer reading before quoting.
No two bags arrive in the same condition. A 1985 top-handle with corner wear and a 2018 one with the same wear require different threads, different pigments, and different hours. Tariff pricing would be either dishonest or unkind. We quote by assessment, in writing, after seeing the piece.
Two to four weeks for most commissions. Damage rescue, vintage revival, and full re-builds can run six to eight weeks. We update you in writing each Friday with progress photographs.
Yes, by insured courier. We receive bags from across Southeast Asia and Australia, and occasionally from Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul. Duties and insurance are quoted separately.
Often, yes. The boutiques work to a different brief — they are restoring to as-new condition with original-spec materials. We are restoring to continued life, with sympathetic materials. Most pieces a boutique declines, we can take.
Honest restoration, documented, typically preserves resale value because the alternative — a bag with corner wear and edge whitening — is sold at a discount. We provide a restoration dossier with every piece that can be shown at resale.
You may return the bag to us within fourteen days and we will reassess at no further cost. We have done this six times in eleven years. We would rather you tell us than not.
Yes — alligator, crocodile, ostrich, lizard. Each has its own protocol. Alligator requires a different conditioning regime than calf and we keep specialty solvents for the purpose.
Yes — full colour conversion is possible, though we will always discuss whether it serves the bag. A 1996 vintage piece re-dyed bright pink loses much of what made it valuable. A neutral-to-neutral conversion is usually graceful.
39 Ubi Road 1, #04-12, Singapore 408937. Tuesday through Saturday, by appointment preferred. Coordinates 1.2902° N, 103.8519° E. Building carpark on Lower Ground with three spaces reserved for clients.