Dolce & Gabbana Dupe Tutorial: How to DIY a Denim Patchwork Bag

You can do this to a purse you already own, use old denim that you already own, and even better, it is totally no-sew.

Tools and materials:

• Fabric glue
• Denim
• Plain bag
• Fabric scissors
• Clips
• Embellishment (optional)

1. Cut the denim

Take some denim, I’m using a Levi's thrifted vest, and cut out large pieces.

I tried to incorporate any of the cool elements that are already on the jacket, like the collar, the seams, the straps, the buttons, and the pockets.

Make sure to remove any excess fabric. It's really important that you try to get rid of as much of the bulky excess as possible. That way, you can layer the fabrics on top of each other without having a big bulky area.

2. Arrange the denim piece on the bag

Grab a plain bag and remove any elements that you don’t like from it if necessary. I removed the chain strap from mine.

Then, pick one spot on your bag and start there. Figure out what element of your jacket you want to use on what element of your purse.

It's really just a matter of starting to lay a few pieces out at a time, so you know where you want the pieces to go before you glue them down.

You can, if you choose to, incorporate a denim pocket into your design that will act as a functional pocket that you can put things in.

3. Glue the denim on

When you’ve decided on the placement of your pieces, grab your fabric glue, squirt it onto the purse and then place the denim pieces on top.

I really recommend using different shades of denim for this project, as it will add some variation to the design.

I also recommend always leaving about an inch or two of excess fabric so that you have the option to fold pieces down or over.

You can always cut after the fact if you want, but having that overlap is really nice.

4. Put pieces on the inside

You can leave the inside of the purse plain or put denim inside as well.

If you aren’t putting fabric on the inside, then you can keep the edges on the inside of the purse raw.

Or, you could go in there with some of the trim, like the hem detail or even a little ribbon, and hide it all.

5. Cut a hole for the snap

We want the snap on the purse to function as we still want it to function like a real purse.

Place fabric on top of the snap and then make a few snips in the fabric. Widen these snips to form a small hole that is the size of your snap.

Make sure not to cover any of the other important hardware.

My purse has little tabs, which is what the purse handle will get attached to, so you need to ensure that you keep those pieces accessible.

6. Clip the denim in place

Place clips on the denim to hold it in place while it dries so that it will fit the rounded shape of the purse. 

7. Cover the strap

When you’re done with the main part of the bag, do the strap.

Of course, if the bag you are using has a chain, then this isn’t relevant. But, if it has a strap, cover that part with denim as well.

8. Add embellishment

Another option that you have is to add some sort of embellishment to the bag. I added some embellishments in a vintage dusty gold.

Dolce & Gabbana dupe denim patchwork bag

I love how my no-sew DIY denim back came out. Here are two examples of how you can place the embellishment on your bag. 

The great thing about this technique is that you can do it to anything, it doesn't only have to be a handbag - it could be a pair of shoes, a skirt, or something else.

Keep this technique in mind and see what other patchwork pieces you come up with.

For more designer dupe content, check out my post on How to DIY Gucci Dupe Bow Shoes for the Holidays.