Way back in November of 2021, I attended the Polka Dot Vintage Markets where I discovered an adorable white wicker handbag that I instantly fell in love with. This bag has since travelled with me and gone on many an adventure by my side. When I was originally buying the bag, I noticed that the leather strap handles were, although in great condition, were starting to get a little old. This made me worry about the straps breaking whilst out on the town but eventually, they broke at home. But what to do now? Well, let me show you how easy it is to fix your leather bag straps.

Of course, every bag will have a different means of attaching and reattaching bag straps. It all depends on how the handles are adhered to the bag (they could be clipped on, sewn in or attached with rivets. My bag had metal loops to which the leather straps were riveted; it also had double straps. There was no way I was getting rid of this bag, so fixing it was the only option.

Here’s what I did.

It took a little time to find the right type of handbag strap I was looking for. There are so many styles and variations online that it honestly became overwhelming. I knew I needed two white leather straps; I was going for either with clasps on the end or a way for me to add rivets. I ended up finding this listing which ended up being perfect and less that $2.50! If you are wanting a bag strap that has clasps, I did find this one which is super budget friendly.
The last thing you may need, especially if you get straps without clasps is rivets. I used these in gold and got a whole packet for under $2. Once my bag straps and rivets arrived, the process was relatively simple.

-Using sharp, thin scissors, I cut off the old bag straps.

-After looping my new straps around the bag loops, I realised that my loops were too wide and thus the straps wouldn’t close up. To remedy this, I took out my screw punch, added the 3.5 size head and punched some new holes into the straps. As the straps were thick, I used a sewing pin to scoop out the punched hole. It took a few punches to break through but slow and steady was the best way to make sure the holes were neat and clean.

-With my new holes punched, I once again looped my straps around the bag loops and then turned my attention to my rivets. I had screw rivets which means that the two sides of the rivet screw together instead of being hammered close.

-Taking the flat rivet side, I pushed it through one side of the bag strap and aligned the other strap hole. Taking the notched rivet side, I pushed it through the other side of the strap hole and then screwed it in until it felt secure and tight. I did also end up taking a screw driver to make sure the screw wouldn’t come loose.

-Repeat until your straps are attached and then youre done!

By replacing the straps on this vintage bag, it can continue serving it’s purpose and I can wear it for years to come hopefully. As I found so many strap replacement options, it gave me the idea that anyone could jazz up an old bag with some new straps as well as adding a fun pop of colour to a bag you may be bored with. This fix up method, although pretty straightforward, is designed to help people reduce their waste and curb their consumption. I’d love to encourage you to fix your own handbag straps before you consider chucking out a handbag all together. I love the results of my new handbag straps and I’m really happy with how they turned out.

Please Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. This page contains affiliate links/codes which aids in funding future blog posts. Please don’t feel obliged to use any of my links if you don’t want to.