We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Di Masi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I never planned on starting a business in restoration. Honestly, it all began because I ruined my mother’s Chanel bag that I had borrowed and needed to return within a few days. I panicked. I called Chanel directly and they told me the repair process would take months. At the time, there really wasn’t a visible service in New York dedicated to restoring luxury handbags, and I had no idea where to bring it.

That same week, I had lunch with an old friend whose family had been in the shoe repair business in Manhattan for years. I explained the situation and he casually mentioned a shoe maker on the Upper East Side who might be able to help. We walked over together and I remember being horrified when the cobbler took my mother’s Chanel bag and literally tossed it into a cardboard box filled with worn shoes and repairs. He simply looked at me and said, “See you in two days.”

When I returned, the bag was absolutely pristine. Perfect. He handed it back to me in a plastic grocery bag and charged me $20. I remember standing there thinking — how does this service not exist in New York?

My friend, who later became my business partner, immediately said, “You need to create a flyer for this.” So I did. We made simple flyers offering luxury handbag restoration and within one week we had almost 50 accounts, mostly high-end dry cleaners throughout Manhattan. The response was immediate. We had laundry bags of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc. We ended up pulling his father out of retirement to help with repairs and craftsmanship because the demand grew so quickly.

Two weeks later, I quit my full-time job and I’ve never worked for anyone else again.

What started with restoring handbags eventually evolved into over 16 years of craftsmanship, leather restoration, color work, and ultimately the creation of Lady Cuir Restore — transforming authentic designer materials into one-of-a-kind pieces while preserving the artistry, history, and story behind every item.

Nicole , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My friend and I quickly made flyers offering luxury handbag restoration, and within a week we had almost 50 accounts, mostly high-end dry cleaners throughout Manhattan. The beginning years were long days and nights. About a year into the business, my partner relapsed, and I knew I had no choice but to continue building the company myself. I taught myself how to restore handbags by trial, research, and pure determination. I had always been artistic and painted growing up, so color mixing came naturally to me, but I never expected I would become one of the few people capable of restoring leather and color at the level I eventually reached.

Over time, I left the partnership and brought the business into my home. I continued building my route throughout New York with a delivery driver while personally handling every aspect of branding and marketing myself. I understood early on that perception mattered. Luxury clients wanted trust, care, and experience — not just repairs. I began returning every restored handbag in branded dust bags and focused heavily on presentation and client relationships. I subcontracted larger structural repairs to specialists I had built relationships with over the years while personally restoring all of the leather and color work myself.

Eventually, I became known for restoring sentimental bags — pieces tied to memories, milestones, inheritances, and important moments in people’s lives. Being a woman in what was traditionally a male-dominated industry created a very different experience for my clients. Women trusted me. I was invited into closets, homes, and personal collections. There was an emotional connection to the work that I think truly set me apart. I wasn’t just restoring handbags; I was preserving stories and memories.

Over the years, my work was featured in Long Island Newsday, and I worked alongside local consignment stores and one of the head sales affiliates for The RealReal for a period of time. At one point, I was restoring at least 20 bags a week while also managing shoe and leather repair accounts throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn valet services.

One of the most defining moments in my career came when the former head of Chanel’s restoration department — someone I had worked with for years on certain repairs — told me he could no longer help me because I had become his competitor. Chanel had changed their policies. He was no longer exclusive and had begun rebuilding his own client base. I remember realizing in that moment how far I had come.

During COVID, my business naturally evolved into what is now Lady Cuir Restore. I began repurposing authentic designer materials into one-of-a-kind wearable pieces and accessories. What started as restoration transformed into design and storytelling. Today, I create small-batch collections using vintage designer towels, scarves, military materials, denim, and other textiles to create handbags, jackets, clutches, hats, sandals, and accessories that are truly unique.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During COVID, I was forced to shut down my business entirely. Early on, I actually became sick after handling a handbag, and at the time very little was understood about the virus or how it spread. Like so many people, I suddenly found myself at home with uncertainty and time I had never had before. Instead of stopping completely, I began working on creative projects I had always pushed aside while running the restoration side of the business.

One day, I made a face mask from a vintage Gucci silk scarf. I never created it with the intention of selling it — I simply posted it online as something creative I was working on during lockdown. Within two days, I had over 100 requests. I remember thinking, “How am I going to make all of these?” I reached out to a local upholsterer I knew in town, and thankfully he needed work too. He agreed to help me produce them, and honestly, that moment helped keep both of us going during an incredibly difficult time.

I quickly modified my website to begin selling products online, but just as quickly, Instagram shut down my account while the algorithm was heavily driving traffic to my page. I had to rebuild my entire profile and audience from scratch. Looking back now, that experience completely changed my life. What began with one silk mask evolved into custom benches, totes, shoes, jackets, and eventually the full design side of my brand. It taught me that survival in business comes from learning how to pivot and seeing every difficult situation as a lesson rather than an ending. That mindset is truly the reason I’m still here today.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I started my business, I had about $10,000 to my name — and that money was meant to cover my rent and bills. There were weeks I truly don’t know how I made it through. I didn’t have investors, financial backing, or a large team behind me. I built everything slowly, creatively, and out of necessity.

In the beginning, when I started designing products, I could only afford to create one sample at a time. I would make a tote, style it myself, photograph it beautifully, and post it on Instagram. Everything was done through pre-orders. Clients would sometimes wait six to eight weeks for their bags because that was the only way I could afford to purchase materials and continue producing. People trusted me enough to wait, and that trust became the foundation of my business.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the relationship I’ve built with my customers. Even online, people feel like they know me personally. They know who is designing their pieces, answering their messages, packing their orders, and telling the story behind every collection. That connection has always mattered more to me than simply selling a product.

Today, my brand has grown far beyond what I ever imagined. I now sell wholesale to luxury hotels and boutiques around the world, and the lifestyle I once photographed and dreamed about — the girl traveling with these pieces in beautiful destinations — has become the reality of my brand. But behind all of it is still the same woman who built this business from her home while raising her daughter alone.

For sixteen years, through every stage of building this company, I was also navigating eight years of an incredibly difficult high-conflict family court battle. Looking back, I honestly don’t know how I survived some of those years while continuing to grow a business. The only thing I ever truly knew was that I could not give up — not for myself, and not for my daughter. That determination became the foundation for everything I built.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ladycuirrestore.com
• Instagram: LCRestore.shop
• Facebook: LCRestore.shop

Image Credits

Just me :)