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One in a series of 3:
When you’re trying to keep costs down, you may try to be economical in ways that don’t always benefit you. You might learn later on, as I did, it would have been better to spend more and get reassurance that things were done right.
- In the case of my UV umbrellas, I learned from my mentor that there is a worldwide testing company called SGS, and to have my umbrellas checked before they would make their way to the U.S., I could hire SGS, they would go to the factory in China, test and check a given number of umbrellas, i.e. 10% randomly chosen. Because there is significant cost to have them do this, I chose to have them test at the end of the manufacturing process. (They can test at many different stages … after 10% is completed, 50%, 90%).
What I wish I’d done with my second shipment is to have SGS test early on (and at the end) because the handles had cuts and other marks on them and they should have been replaced. They could have been replaced at the end, but time was short. Early on, I would have been inclined to demand it – and take the time for it. As it was, I had to send a good amount back to China much later on to have the handles replaced.
Go to the handbag section of a department store and look at a variety of bags and see what connects handles to bags, and any clasps or snaps or metal there might be.
Hardware is, in part, what makes a handbag functional. A handle needs something to connect it to a bag, thus the term connector, or hardware. It can also make the bag flexible as there is movement.
Most upscale bags (excluding clutches) have feet. What does that mean? Let’s say, you’re having coffee with a friend and you set your bag down on the ground. If there are no feet, the bottom of your bag will get dirty, thus “bottom feet” . These are four or five half-round metal pieces (or in some cases, rectangular or square) that connect to the bottom of the bag, and that is what touches the ground instead of your bag.
Dee Rings are additional connectors from handle to bag.
A swivel snap (it swivels and moves) is connected to the D Ring to make your handle and bag moveable. As you can see, there is more than one part for this function.
For either an outside and/or inside zipper, you will also need hardware so that you will have something to grasp onto as you open or close the zipper. (You must go to another supplier for zippers but not necessarily for hardware).
As for determining sizes and metals for these connectors, first you need to get a catalogue from a luggage and handbag supplier (search the internet for this) to familiarize yourself, and when you find your contractor, you can get opinions from him/her.
If you are making bags offshore, you will need to have all this information ahead of time.
The more you know before you go to a contractor, the better. You will be professional walking in the door.
Note: You may not necessarily be able to get all types of hardware from one supplier.
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