Okay, so I’ve been wanting to remake this PRADA Re-Edition 1995 Chaine Re-Nylon Tote Bag for a while now. I finally got my hands on the materials and got to work. I started by getting a good look at the original bag online, studying all the pictures I could find. I really wanted to get this right, you know?
First off, I gathered all my stuff. I already got some Re-Nylon fabric. I found the right chains after scouring a bunch of hardware stores and I managed to find some similar buckles online. It’s not exactly the same but it gets the job done!
The next thing I did was make a pattern. This was kinda tough. I sketched out the different panels of the bag, trying to match the dimensions of the original as closely as I could. I used some old paper bags to make a rough draft of the pattern. This took a couple of tries to get right, lots of measuring and remeasuring. This bag is a bit tricky!
Once I was happy with the pattern, I started cutting out the Re-Nylon fabric. Man, this stuff is slippery! It took some patience, and a lot of pins, to cut it accurately. I made sure to cut out all the pieces for the bag body, the lining, and the pockets.
- Cut the main body panels
- Cut the lining fabric
- Cut the pocket pieces
Then came the sewing. I started by stitching the side panels to the main body. I used my trusty old sewing machine. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done. I had to go slow, making sure the seams were straight and strong. The Re-Nylon is pretty tough, so I had to use a heavy-duty needle.
After that, I sewed in the lining. This was a bit easier than the outer fabric, thank goodness. I also added the inner pockets at this stage. Gotta have those pockets for your phone and keys, right?
Next up was attaching the chain handles. This was probably the most fiddly part. I carefully measured where the chains should go, and marked the spots with chalk. I attached the buckles to the bag and then looped the chains through. It was tough to get the chains to sit just right, but eventually, I got it.
Finally, I added the finishing touches – like the zipper and the PRADA logo. I found a similar zipper at a fabric store, and I made a makeshift PRADA logo out of some scrap metal. It’s not perfect, but I think it looks pretty good!
Results
And there you have it! My very own homemade version of the PRADA Re-Edition 1995 Chaine Re-Nylon Tote Bag. It was a lot of work, but I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s not exactly like the original, but it’s got the same vibe. Plus, I made it myself, which is pretty cool, right? Now I have a pretty decent PRADA bag replica!