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Handmade Hard-sided Luggage

ViceroyRW

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Hey StyleForum! I've been a long time lurker and decided to sign up to ask the hive mind for help. I want to make my own luggage case much like the LV Azler 80 but I cannot for the life of me find instructions anywhere online on how to construct one. I was hope some of you might be able to push me in the right direction....

This is the style I'm wanting to build:



I saw some artistic videos on Youtube showing how the luggage is made but it's very vague. Is this doable or have I hit a dead end?
 

MikeDT

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Are you any good at woodworking, leather working and brass working? ....preferably to an artisan level.
 
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ViceroyRW

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Are you any good at woodworking, leather working and brass working? ....preferably to an artisan level.
Not at all...I guess I'm naive to think that I can do what an artisan can do but it'll just take me way more time? It doesn't seem that complex to be honest..
 

MikeDT

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Perhaps you could start with some cardboard boxes and LV pattern adhesive backed vinyl? :)

I could always ask some friends in Guangdong Province, how they make the knock-offs.
 
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ViceroyRW

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I don't wanna make a fake Louis Vuitton. I want to make a luggage case based on the style with a high quality leather instead of the feminine monogram waterproof canvas . The cardboard sounds like a good idea. If you're serious about your friends in China, I would love to hear about how they do it!
 

ViceroyRW

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Perhaps you could start with some cardboard boxes and LV pattern adhesive backed vinyl?
smile.gif

I could always ask some friends in Guangdong Province, how they make the knock-offs.
I don't wanna make a fake Louis Vuitton. I want to make a luggage case based on the style with a high quality leather instead of the feminine monogram waterproof canvas . The cardboard sounds like a good idea. If you're serious about your friends in China, I would love to hear about how they do it!
 

Equus Leather

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If you want to make them using leather your going to have to learn to hand stitch as a first step. Unless you use full thickness bridle leather you'll also have to learn how to use cedar or something similar to make a frame and then stitch lighter leather over the top but through the wood. The trade used to use grey board with a leather skin as way of using thiner and cheaper leather and also to make a lighter case. Its a very arcane and nearly dead trade making leather suitcases by hand properly, I only know one man still doing it properly and he tends to make briefcases rather than suitcases. I'm not sure even SAB etc still make them. Hope you manage to make some headway!

Charlie
 

ViceroyRW

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If you want to make them using leather your going to have to learn to hand stitch as a first step. Unless you use full thickness bridle leather you'll also have to learn how to use cedar or something similar to make a frame and then stitch lighter leather over the top but through the wood. The trade used to use grey board with a leather skin as way of using thiner and cheaper leather and also to make a lighter case. Its a very arcane and nearly dead trade making leather suitcases by hand properly, I only know one man still doing it properly and he tends to make briefcases rather than suitcases. I'm not sure even SAB etc still make them. Hope you manage to make some headway!
Charlie
This is incredibly insightful...I don't know about stitching through wood though...I saw the artistic LV video and saw they glued the canvas to the frame and reinforced it with upholstery tacks:

This is the one where they use tacks....

This is the one where the show the gluing process at 2:40...
 

Blackhood

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I think Mike has been a little harsh, I can fully understand someone wishing to build a solid luggage piece in the old SAB/LV style.

To be honest, you may have better luck looking up tutorials on building "trunks". They will be essentially the same, but with altered dimensions. I doubt there are many out there though, there is a reason that the craft is nearly dead and well made ones cost thousands of dollars.
 

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