Where are you located?
Shop 50 Royal Arcade, 150 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia.
What are your opening hours?
Our trading hours are Monday to Saturday 9am – 6pm and closed Sunday.
How do I find your shop?
The best way to finding us is through the 150 Elizabeth Street entrance of the Royal Arcade. Walk down the annex towards the centre of the Arcade, you’ll find Evans five shops down on the right – next to the vintage clothing store Hunter Gatherer.
Please see here for a map of our workshop location.
Do I need to book an appointment
Book a free consultation with our leather specialists for a comprehensive item assessment and quote. Alternatively, you can bring your items to our heritage workshop anytime during opening hours.
I am not local / cannot make it into the city?
We accept postal orders Australia Wide. Send photos of your items to get started.
How does your postal service work?
If you’re interested in sending your items to us first use our online order form to upload photos so our team can provide a quote. If you’re happy to go ahead our team can send you an Evans box with prepaid return postage and instructions to safely post your items, alternatively you can send your own box.
How do I request a postal box?
Use our online order form and provide your address to our team. If you’re happy with the quote our team will send you a branded Evans box with prepaid return postage.
What is the size of the postal box?
L 48cm W 27cm H 16cm
Our postal boxes are large enough to fit shoes, large bags and leather goods. If you have multiple items we can send you another box.
How much does postage cost?
With our postal box service we charge a flat rate of $50 for three-way prepaid express postage (Australia Post), delivery of your Evans branded box is free. Freight is paid on completion of your repairs.
What happens after I send my items?
Following delivery of your items at our workshop, our team will be in touch prior to any work commencing and confirm the quote. We typically take a deposit prior to beginning any repairs. We take payments over the phone or via bank transfer.
How long does it take to repair?
We typically allow a turnover time of 2 – 4 weeks for most jobs.
How do I track the progress of my repair?
We offer an order tracking service via SMS so you can check on the status of your repair. Alternatively our shop assistant are always available to answer any questions or queries via our support email.
Can I see examples of your work?
Please see our Facebook page for customer stories and before and after photos.
Can you repair or restore my leather items back to their original condition?
Our repair and leather restoration services are always completed with the goal of returning your items to the best condition possible. It is important to note that leather differs to other materials in that it develops its own unique character over time and your items may never look identical to factory-like condition. As such our services always aim to rejuvenate, refresh and bring a new lease of life to your items.
Where is the work at Evans completed?
Our heritage workshop has grown to span much of the upper levels of the Royal Arcade annex and comprises seperate departments for leather repairs, alterations, dyeing and restoration work. Our workshop also includes a storage space for leathers, materials, products and a head office. Our unique set up ensures that each aspect of an order is attended to by a specialist and all items are carefully processed and managed on site.
Who will be handling my items?
We only employ highly skilled leather craftsmen and restorers who show passion for their work, have a diversity of experience and preferably a background in design. Our retail staff have served the Evans family for many years and are very knowledgeable on the services our workshop provides.
Interested in working for Evans? We offer training and placements for aspiring leather craftsmen contact us for more information.
What do you mean by bespoke service?
At Evans we use the term bespoke to describe the tailored and personalised approached we expect our craftsmen to follow for each order. This includes design, material / leather selection, engineering and finishing. While we offer bespoke services, it is important to emphasise that we are not a factory and workmanship will reflect handmade leather craft.
How does your pricing work?
Our prices are based on the amount of time required, cost of materials and the complexity of the work. We aim to be as transparent as possible with our pricing. However, every job is unique and our price list should therefore be used as a general guide only – all quotes will be finalised by Evans staff after item inspection.
Whats the difference between polishing and dyeing / refinishing?
Polishing is a a term used to describe upkeeping the finish, lustre or colour of leather shoes. Unfortunately the term is also often wrongly associated with leather restoration. Polishes are not a restorative product and will rub off or fade over time, particularly when used on handbags or leather clothing.
Can you dye suede, nubuck, satin, patent leather...?
Refer to the information below for a complete overview of the dyeing processes and colour matching available for different leathers and materials.
LEATHERS
Smooth – Any Colour.
Suede* – Brown, Navy and Black only.
Nubuck – Brown, Navy and Black only.
Exotic- Any Colour.
Patent – Not possible.
MATERIALS
Satin – Any Colour. (must be light to dark)
*Suede Clothing – We are unable to offer any guarantees on dyeing suede clothing as there is often a high risk of colour transfer. If you’re still interested we’d suggest meeting with our staff to discuss beforehand.
Can you dye metallic colours?
Metallic colours are possible for certain leathers and materials. An additional fee is charged due to the extra time involved in mixing and applying metallic finishes.
How accurate is the colour match?
We utilise a combination of technology and traditional hand-eye mixing to adjust the colour. The accuracy of the colour depends on the nature of the leather and how it reacts to the dye. We usually guarantee a 95% colour match unless otherwise specified.
Do I need to provide a colour sample?
When dyeing an item to a new colour, it is suggested that you provide a colour sample for our specialists to match. Alternatively, our staff can guide you on potential colours from our range of samples.
Can you dye from a darker to lighter colour?
Although not usually recommended, it is sometimes possible to dye leather from a darker to lighter colour. This is achieved with stripping agents that open the pores of the leather and allow a lighter pigment to be absorbed by the leather fibres. Materials such as Satin cannot be dyed to a lighter colour.
Is the dye permanent?
Our dyes are formulated to absorb deep into the pores of leather and result in a permanent colour change. The dye will naturally fade over time with prolonged exposure to the environment.
Will the dye transfer onto my clothes or other items?
After being treated the leather is sealed with waterproofing agents to prevent the colour migrating onto other items.
How is the dye applied?
Unlike other restorers that use spray guns for a quicker and more cost-effective job, our specialists have expertise in fine brush application. Only a small amount of dye is applied incrementally by hand to avoid excessive layers of paint building up on the leather. This traditional method results in a more refined and natural finish to the leather.
Will the dye change the feel of the leather?
Following the application of the dye, the leather is nourished with essential oils and nutrients to maintain the smoothness and suppleness of the leather. ‘Stiffness’ will only occur if the leather is already badly deteriorated or dryed out prior to application of dye.
Can I dye the leather myself?
We offer a variety of sponge applicated dyes to assist with DIY shoe and leather dyeing. However, its important to note that these dyes are different to the industrially sourced pigments used by our specialists and will not achieve the same quality finish.
Related Questions
Can you protect my leather goods?
Leather is a highly absorbent material and requires protection from stains, watermarks and dirt / grime. Our specialists use all-natural, silicon-free waterproofing and colour protection agents to preserve leather for up to 6 months. This inhibits the loss of essential oils from the leather fibres and mitigates the risk of stains or colour loss.
Why use our leather protection service?
It is suggested that you use our professional service for protecting new leather goods. Our specialists apply multiple layers of waterproofing and colour resistor to guarantee maximum protection for up to 6 months. After this time, high quality waterproofing agents can be purchased in store to supplement the initial protective coats.
Why is ongoing waterproofing important?
Waterproofing creates a barrier that prevent unwanted substances aborbing into the leather fibres. This significantly reduces the likelihood of water marks or stains arising and assists professional cleaning if any accidents occur.
I already have a waterproofer?
The protective sprays sold by most retailers and supermarkets, are ineffective in offering complete leather protection. In addition, these products are commonly made with petroleums and silicon resins that can be potentially harmful to leather. Our specialists use all-natural, silicon-free waterproofing agents suitable for delicate leathers that do not change the complexion or colour. We also use colour protection agents to stop migration or colour loss.
Do you dry clean leather handbags and jackets?
No. Dry cleaning is contrary to what leather requires to maintain it’s suppleness, colour and durability. Leather is a porous material meaning any stains need to be extracted with specialised cleaning agents. During the cleaning process the fibres must also be treated with nourishing formulas to prevent the leather drying out. Dry cleaning essentially dehydrates leather, making the fibres more brittle and prone to breaking.
How effective is leather cleaning?
The success of any cleaning procedure will depend on the type of leather, the nature of the mark / stain and whether the leather has been protected. If the leather is severely discoloured, colour refinishing / dyeing may be a more effective treatment option.
Can you remove oil stains, water marks...?
Removal of water marks, oil, alcohol stains and dirt / grime from leather is possible. This is achieved with specialised cleaning agents that penetrate deep into the fibres and extract any stains from the leather. If the stain is severe, this may cause discolouration of the leather, thus necessitating a re-dyeing procedure. Dye or Ink stains also usually require colour refinishing / dyeing.
Can you remove odour / musty smell from leather?
A musty smell typically indicates mould growth on leather. We can remove mould and leather odour with either restorative cleaning methods, cleansing and disinfecting or through refinishing / dyeing the leather. A refinishing process is usually our recommended solution as the dye essentially kills the fungus and restores the condition of the leather.
Does Evans offer a repair service for brands?
If you’re a retailer interested in setting up a brand account with Evans simply reach out to us. Before creating an account we suggest visiting our Royal Arcade shop to learn more about our services and to make sure we’re a good fit.
Some of the benefits of setting up a brand account with Evans are as follows
– Live order tracking
– Correspondence with our shop assistants via our CRM platform
– Workshop open 7 days for drop off or pick up
– Discounted rates for repairs
– Freight Returns
I'm a shoe-maker, reparier / cobbler or dry cleaner that needs help with a leather item?
Evans is committed to helping other business ease their day-to-day operations, we therefore offer our speciality services to shoe repairers, cobblers, dry cleaners or any other service based businesses at a discounted rate. If would like any difficult jobs resolved, get in touch with us or visit our workshop for a quote.
