But hey, never say never. The internet is a wild place, and people are crafty AF. Seeing “handmade Balenciaga” almost makes me think of like, Etsy, or something, right? Like those, um, “inspired by” bags… wink wink nudge nudge. You know, the ones that look *almost* like the real deal, but definitely aren’t. I saw something about that on Repladies, whatever THAT is. Kinda shady, I’m thinking.
Then again, maybe… maybe there *is* a niche for *genuine* handmade Balenciaga-esque bags. Like, imagine someone super skilled, using top-quality leather, painstakingly recreating the Hourglass shape or something. That’d be kinda cool, actually. It’d be like a more… intimate, personal version of high fashion. And probably still super expensive, let’s be real. You can see that Bergdorf Goodman has a curated selection, so it’s not out of the ordinary to see a Balenciaga handbag with a premium feel.
I also saw something about JPaks, a Colorado-based company that makes bikepacking bags. That’s completely different, I know, but it made me think about how “handmade” can mean *so* many different things. Like, are we talking “mass-produced by hand in a factory in China” handmade, or “one person, one sewing machine, pure love” handmade? Big difference. I wonder, are the straps hand-sewn as OH MY BAG indicates?
Mytheresa has designer totes and backpacks and all that jazz. FARFETCH mentions designer totes like Gucci and Prada. It doesn’t specifically mention Balenciaga in the handmade context, but it does kinda hammer home the idea that people *are* looking for alternatives to the usual suspects. You know, something unique, something with a story.