Italian Man Purse by Verapelle. Cardboard?

[BDAZ]

I occasionally get calls for repairs or odd projects generated by my web site but I have done some work on a Dooney and Burke purse where I replaced the canvas strap with an exact match leather one and most recently a call from a local surgeon who has a bag very expensive from Verapelle, purchased in Italy many years ago and big enough to easily carry a 17" laptop, note books, etc. The strap loops and attachment fixtures were disintegrating. The strap is nylon webbing and the bag is heavy duty and well made. When I removed the rivets and the leather pieces holding the strap ring to the bag and the other piece attached to the webbing, I discovered they were actually a sandwich of cardboard, some fabric and thin leather holding it all together. The actual leather was so fragile, it tore in my hand.
 

I created exact duplicates of the pieces on my laser cutter and used 5-6 oz Wicket and Craig drum dyed and laminated to replace the cardboard sandwich.  The owner is thrilled and the new attachments will outlast the bag.

My question is why the sandwich using cardboard and fabric instead of a heavier leather that will stand up to the stresses of a large and heavy bag? Or is this just an Italian thing?

The attached shows the part that attaches the D ring to the corner of the bag. Original on the right and laser cut dupe on left and the dog's breakfast filler on top.

Thanks,

Bob

[chuck123wapati]

18 minutes ago, BDAZ said:

I occasionally get calls for repairs or odd projects generated by my web site but I have done some work on a Dooney and Burke purse where I replaced the canvas strap with an exact match leather one and most recently a call from a local surgeon who has a bag very expensive from Verapelle, purchased in Italy many years ago and big enough to easily carry a 17" laptop, note books, etc. The strap loops and attachment fixtures were disintegrating. The strap is nylon webbing and the bag is heavy duty and well made. When I removed the rivets and the leather pieces holding the strap ring to the bag and the other piece attached to the webbing, I discovered they were actually a sandwich of cardboard, some fabric and thin leather holding it all together. The actual leather was so fragile, it tore in my hand.
 

I created exact duplicates of the pieces on my laser cutter and used 5-6 oz Wicket and Craig drum dyed and laminated to replace the cardboard sandwich.  The owner is thrilled and the new attachments will outlast the bag.

My question is why the sandwich using cardboard and fabric instead of a heavier leather that will stand up to the stresses of a large and heavy bag? Or is this just an Italian thing?

The attached shows the part that attaches the D ring to the corner of the bag. Original on the right and laser cut dupe on left and the dog's breakfast filler on top.

Thanks,

Bob

my only guess is that if they used thicker leather they would have to use two thicknesses which would increase cost in their product instead they use one thickness and add layers of crap.  Matching color is also a possible reason.

[BDAZ]

As you can see they did use 2 layers of thin leather. I was thinking that they had one type of leather available and everything needed to match ..but surely cardboard? I believe this bag was well over $1000. I thought it may have been typical of haute couture leatherwork...Gucci, etc. I rarely use cardboard in holsters heh heh.

[Tugadude]

58 minutes ago, BDAZ said:

As you can see they did use 2 layers of thin leather. I was thinking that they had one type of leather available and everything needed to match ..but surely cardboard? I believe this bag was well over $1000. I thought it may have been typical of haute couture leatherwork...Gucci, etc. I rarely use cardboard in holsters heh heh.

One possible reason is that the cardboard won't stretch, whereas the leather does.  Adding a stiffener that won't stretch will make the attachment more robust.  I say robust, even though it obviously deteriorated, but I doubt the deterioration had to do with the cardboard.  

[chuck123wapati]

cardboard has been used for years as liner for manufactured leather work, right or wrong. I wouldn't think a bag in that price range would have it in it however.

[fredk]

Use of cardboard as a stiffener goes back to about 1850s /1860s. What was better than cardboard, not too thick, stiff and also flexible enough to 'give'. Not until post-WW2 do we see the use of man-made polymer sheets, such as thin nylon sheets used as bag stiffeners. The cardboard used up to about the 1950s both as stiffeners in bags and in general purpose boxes was much  thicker and more resilient than later cardboard and this early cardboard was eventually replaced with the multi-layer corrugated cardboard we use to day

Adding a cardboard stiffener to a bag helps make the bag keep its shape, especially when using light-weight leathers. I used to make shoulder bags using chrome tan upholstery grade leather. That leather would never keep a bag shape so I sandwiched cardboard between it, on the outside, and a thin liner leather

[Burkhardt]

On 7/27/2023 at 10:25 AM, BDAZ said:

As you can see they did use 2 layers of thin leather. I was thinking that they had one type of leather available and everything needed to match ..but surely cardboard? I believe this bag was well over $1000. I thought it may have been typical of haute couture leatherwork...Gucci, etc. I rarely use cardboard in holsters heh heh.

Look at Bedos leatherwork on youtube and you'll see how cheaply made that are high dollar bags and shoes. He'll regularly tear apart brand new 700.00 to 1000.00 dollar shoes and the heels are cardboard with a leather "looking" veneer on them.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Northmount
removed several lines of dead white space

[BDAZ]

I was curious where it was just cost saving, expedience or some tradition. I suspect the former. This was used on stress bearing components, obviously to utilize the scraps of leather left over from the main parts. Probably easier to use garment machines on cardboard than solid leathers.

 

Thanks,

Bob