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Bagaholicboy Profiles #13 – Questions About Balenciaga

April 27, 2009   |   13 Comments

So many of you have been writing in asking me about my Balenciaga Weekender and other questions that I actually have a separate folder in my Gmail account just to file them in. No, I’m not complaining, but I realised there was a need for me to seek ‘professional’ advice. So what do I do? I emailed the 4 most common questions to a Balenciaga collector and here is what he has to say. By the way, he is also the same guy who owns (at last count) the 32 coin purses, 8 weekenders, 6 flat clutches, a square tote and an assortment of other Balenciaga SLGs. Enjoy, and learn.

Q: What leather is used for Balenciaga bags?
A: Lamb skin (agneau leather). Highly-distressed lamb skin. They use a process of drying the skin so that it has that veiny, distressed texture.

Q: Usually in a season how many colours are released? And they are permanent colours as well?
A: On average at least 5 colours are released, usually more. Usually they are repeats of colours from previous seasons, just a few shades darker or lighter. Balenciaga gives them different names to differentiate between seasons and the year it was launched.

I would say the permanent ones are Black (Noir) which is easily found. Anthracite seems to be following suit as the next ‘permanent’ colour, but this still remains to be seen. If are you a collector (like me) go for the seasonal colours because once they are discontinued, you will not be able to find them anymore in the boutiques. That’s also the fun thing about Balenciaga, so many colours to choose from.

Q: What is the best way to care for them?
A: I have heard from others that the lighter the colour is, the more they tend to fade/dis-colour if exposed to sunlight for long periods of time, which is why I  always store my bags in dustbags.

Here’s how I care for my Balenciaga bags, I use butter paper and line the pockets with them, then I place a few packs of silica gel inside. I never zip the pockets up and then store them in their dustbag which then go into plastic storage containers which also have silica gel inside.

For the body, I strongly recommend Apple Leather Care. I do not use anything to prevent the handles from darkening. Depending on how frequently I use the bag, I tend to condition it at least once every 2 months. Some Balenciaga owners do not do it at all because once the bag has been conditioned, it will not look as ‘distressed’. Always air your bags, and I let my bags ‘breathe’ for a day or two every month. Sounds like a hassle? Then picture this, what’s worse than a bag with mould?

Q: RH, GH, GSH, what’s the difference and what does it mean?
A: It is just to distinguish the type/size of hardware on the bag. Some prefer Giant Hardware (more expensive), while others prefer Regular Hardware. At the moment, Giant Gold Hardware is more ‘limited’ and not easily found in boutiques than say Giant Silver Hardware. Also, for Giant Hardware bags, there are no tassels so you do not need to worry about them splitting. Giant Hardware is also always more expensive.

RH – Regular Hardware, GH – Giant Hardware , GSH – Giant Silver Hardware, GGH – Giant Gold Hardware, RGGH – Rose Gold Giant Hardware, GCH – Giant Covered Hardware (metal ‘thimbles’ with leather covers)

Image: Newscom