Custom-made Bags
Bag can have a dazzling number of shapes, features and purposes. They can be so
tiny that they fit inside the palm of your hand or large enough for a weekend trip. They can range from simple pouches or highly complex handbags. It all depends on your application and preference.
My bag builders are there to make things a little easier for you but you are not limited to those choices. I am very happy to craft a fully custom-made bag for you, just contact me with your idea and we’ll take it from there.
Below you can find the overall types of custom-made bags and a detailed overview of the entire process. In short, we’ll first have a free online meeting to design the bag, then find your favorite fabrics, decide all details and then you decide if you want to commission the bag by transferring the advance payment (15% of the costs).
There is a bag gallery for inspiration and also a glossary to assist you with the terms I commonly use.
Types of custom-made bags
Variations of parts
For simplicity, the builders do not include all possible options you can find in the parts section. E.g. you would like to have a shopper with a single cross-body strap instead of the two shoulder handles, or you would like a small patch pocket on your handbag. All those patterns already exist in my database and you can obtain them by asking me.
Costs:
As stated in the parts section + a surcharge of € 3 (administration costs)
Resizing of parts
Sometimes, the bags, handles or pockets I offer do not have the dimensions you need. I can easily adapt the pattern for you. The price for the alterations depends on the complexity of the bag (of how many pieces it consists) and in which dimensions you want to have the alterations. Depth is the easiest and thus the cheapest while width is the most time-consuming. Overlay pockets also need to be adapted. The alterations will also affect the material costs and production costs.
Costs:
The exact price needs to be calculated but you can get a very rough idea of the costs by building the bag closest in size and add the following:
- handle & lanyards: € 5-10
- pockets: € 10-20
- drawstring bag: € 15-20
- pouch: € 25-35
- shopper: € 30-40
- handbag: € 40-60
From Gallery
I have only turned a few bags into builders but I have designed far more types over the years, you can find some in my bag gallery. If you discover one you like, I can easily make them for you as I still have all the patterns. Just send me its bag-id and I will estimate the costs.
Costs:
These bags are not part of my builder toolbox, thus I need to calculate them first. They will have comparable prices to similar bags from the builders + a surcharge of € 30 for the administration costs
Novel bags
Do you want a completely custom-made bag? For example one that fits perfectly to your special dress? Or one that fulfills a very specific role? No problem! I can create a bag that is exactly how you want it to be, no presets necessary. Simply contact me and we will arrange a meeting to discuss the design and features. I will then come up with a detailed sketch and an invoice with the estimated costs. If you want, we can also use some of the parts from the builder’s toolbox, such as handles or zipper pockets which will keep the price a bit lower.
The costs of the bag will consist of the production costs + the pattern costs + the administration fee.
Costs:
The costs heavily depend on the complexity and size of the bag. For a very rough estimation build a comparable bag with the builders and add: + € 30-120 (pattern costs) + € 30 (administration costs)
Process overview
1. Inquiry
You can contact me anytime you have a question or idea about a bag you would like to have. It’s best if you already have a rough idea of what you want. You can check it by answering the these questions:
- What do you want to use it for?
- What do you want to put into the bag?
- What requirements should it fulfill?
- What type of customization are you interested in (see above)?
But no worries, even if you are unsure about all these questions, you can already contact me. I can help you with that.
Once I know the rough type, we can figure out all the details together, such as the exact dimensions, shape, pockets and handles.
You can also send me pictures of bags you like as a guide.
Note: You are free to cancel the inquiry at any point before approving the final invoice (Step 7). Afterwards, the cancellation fee is the advance payment.
2. Concept
When I have received your inquiry, I will contact you to discuss things. If the customization is simple (e.g. variations or resizing), this step can be conducted with an email or two. For more complex projects I will set up a meeting with you in whichever manner you prefer (online, phone call, chat, etc) to discuss the rough concept and determine the following topics:
- The size and shape of the bag
- The main closure
- Special features (e.g. compartment for a specific item, or a handle to strap it onto a stroller)
- General features (handles, pockets, lanyards)
- Fabric preferences (colors and patterns)
We don’t need to find all the answers already, it’s more of a discussion that helps me design a bag that shapes towards your needs and wishes.
3. Design
With the information I obtained during our concept discussion, I will design a bag with all its details and make several sketches to visualize it for you. Bags are complex and require many decisions. I will propose the answers for most of them and mark then accordingly for you to check in the next step. The fabric selection will also be at a later step to focus first on the bag design itself.
You can have a look at the handbag builder (or any other builder) to get a general idea what the sketches will look like.
4. Details
The next step is to discuss the design and check all the details. This can either be an email, messages or another meeting. If you prefer, we can also take it in smaller steps. First the main bag, then the handles, etc.
The purpose of this step is to make all the main decisions and define the exact dimensions, shape and features of the bag. I will then adjust the sketches to the choices and you can have another look at it.
5. Fabric choices
Fabrics are a truly defining aspect of bags, making their selection a crucial part of the building process. We’ll keep searching until you are completely content with each fabric in the combination. From my experience it takes a few messages and many pictures back and forth to decide on all the fabrics and materials (e.g color of zipper or buttons).
There are three possible sources of the fabrics:
- My fabric library (included in the price)
- We search and buy a new one (+ shipping costs and possible fabric price difference)
- You send me a fabric (after my confirmation that it is suitable for this project)
Please be aware that colors on the screen might vary a bit from the actual colors. I will send you pictures with all the fabric combinations and materials together so you can see them side by side and get a better feeling if you like them together.
6. Invoice
Once we have worked out all the details, I will re-check everything and then add all information into a single document. This summary will also contain the final price, which consists of the bag costs from the inquiry (the one you saw at checkout), the shipping costs and, if applicable, surcharges for alterations and special materials.
You can expect this step to take about 2-4 working days.
7. Commission
Please carefully check all details in the final summary I send you as this is your last chance to make changes. If you agree with everything, give me your confirmation and transfer the advance payment (15 % of the total costs). With these two actions you confirm that you commission pocketfrenzy (me) to produce the bag as stated in the invoice.
8. Production
Once I have received your confirmation and advance payment, I will start making the bag. From this point on I can no longer make changes or reimburse you the initial payments as I will use the material. When the bag is finished, I will take pictures and send them to you. Depending on the complexity of the bag and my current work load, this step can take up to 20 working days (4 weeks).
Note: The pictures of the new bag will be added to my database. However, without your explicit permission I will not make them public or send them to a third party.
9. Approval
The pictures of your newly finished bag are for you to check if everything was done as you have wished, ensuring that the bag looks like you wanted and has all the correct features. If you are happy with the result, pay the remaining 85% of the costs.
10. Shipping
When the full payment has been received, I will carefully pack your bag and send it to you. My default shipping service is PostNL (Dutch postal service, with tracking) with the following shipping costs:
– Netherlands: € 6
– Europa 1: € 10 (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain)
– Europa 2: € 13 (Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Portugal, UK)
– Europa 3: € 15 (rest of Europe)
– Outside Europe: possible upon request
11. Enjoy
You can finally hold your new bag! Please check it and send me a brief confirmation that everything is in order.
Then the process is complete and I wish that your new bag becomes a great companion to you for a very long time!