BENGALURU: Your precious Jimmy Choos and that sleek Prada bag that go with everything you wear have seen a few seasons and are looking a bit tired as they sit fashionably in your wardrobe. It has been a while since you wore them last.
You wouldn’t dream of going to bed at night without your skincare regime, so why not treat your precious handbags and shoes with the same TLC (Tender, Love and Care) they deserve.
Begging to be let out for a glitzy evening, these luxury shoes and handbags could use a spa treatment once in a while to get them back to their usual posh selves.
These branded items attract a lot of foreign particles and stubborn dirt on them after a few uses. The products are so dearly priced that it is imperative to ensure they look their worth even after using it for a few months.
This is where a professional spa team steps in to give them a rejuvinated look for around `1,000 for each luxury item. For shoes and bags that have experienced minor staining, light colour loss or scuffed corners and minor scratches.
“A small clutch used for two outings, attracts dirt in the smallest of corners, let alone shoes. Also, since they are very highly priced, extra care needs to be given towards persevering the freshness of these products. Small initiatives from home like storing them in their dustbags can make a lot of difference,” advises Mehal Kejriwal, co-founder of DuaVivo. The outlet offers spa services for luxury shoes and handbags.
To make it look as good as new, these shoes and handbags go through the following basic process during the spa treatment: cleansing, conditioning and preserving.
With the change in fabric, the treatment procedure is customised too. For example, to spa a Louis Vuitton leather bag - first the inner lining, handles, the leather, pockets, zips, metal hardware, flap, front, gusset, base are all cleansed thoroughly. Extra attention is paid to the inner lining as they are prone to odour and accumulated dust.
After this, the sterilised bag is conditioned to make the leather supple.
After several uses, the leather usually becomes dry and hard, this step conditions and rejuvenates it.
Followed by the preservation step, a protective layer is formed during the treatment to prevent the bag from direct contact with dust and foreign particles.
A canvas material however, goes through a slightly different process. A mild soap water base is used to remove the stains on its interior and exterior portion.
The practice of spa for luxury goods hasn’t caught on in the city as much as it is in Delhi and Mumbai, where several stores offer these services. In Bengaluru, some stores offer laundry services for bags and shoes, where these items are cleaned, restored and repaired, but they don’t specifically handle luxury brands.
“I really like the shape of my bag after the spa,” says a spa availing customers in the city.
“My shoes smell really nice after the spa, “ says another.
Bengalureans are relieved to have a spa for their luxury darlings, who would otherwise tear off after a few uses.
“I have been looking for a place to give my bags and shoes a nice cleaning since very long,” says a customer at the city-based spa for luxury items, DuaVivo.
“A spa cleaning service will ensure that your product is rejuvenated to its best possible state and the authenticity, workmanship and originality of the product is not at all hampered with,” says 20-year-old Kejriwal.