By Johnny D. Boggs Designer Gail Orrick, wearing a custom deerskin buffalo nickel Coyote Couture vest, paired with long coyote fur collar, custom hat from Burns Custom Hats, and turquoise earrings from KB Hansel Jewelry. Gail Orrick didn’t know what to expect. Here she was, debuting a new line of furs at the Cody High Style fashion show in Cody, Wyoming, in 2010. She was such a newcomer she had
Lifetime Leather tote bags are enhanced with copper and brass rivets, magnetic clasps and antique-colored brass zippers. Larger products include crossbody purses, fanny packs, ladies rucksacks and messenger and duffle bags. Arizona Company was founded on True Grit and Talent By Lynn Ascrizzi When times are tough, sheer inspiration, like an angel of grace, can come unbidden at the most unexpected moments — even though it might first appear in the guise of a discarded
Applying Blackrock Leather 'N' Rich to a boot will not only clean and condition it but will add a waterproof layer and beautiful sheen. Preserving Leather for Generations By Danna Burns-Shaw Family Business Family businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Did you know that the greatest part of America’s wealth lies with family-owned businesses, and, that small family businesses employ just over half of US workers? Family businesses have a deep-seated culture, founded with core values. They
"When I get to make a leather project, it allows me to escape a little. I get to clear my mind and it gives me a chance to reset. It keeps me in line - mentally and physically."-Jeremy Unruh of Fireruh Leather By Liisa Andreassen While his passion is fighting fires, he has a burning desire to work with leather too. Jeremy Unruh, a battalion chief with the Hutchinson Fire
Revival of an Era By Liisa Andreassen Planned obsolescence. That’s something that Sebastian Sandersius, founder of Ezra Arthur, a brand and manufacturer of high fashion casual lifestyle accessories for men, has trouble with and so he decided to do something about it. The idea for Ezra Arthur was first conceived while sitting in a jazz bar in Brussels. It was 2010 and Sebastian found himself inspired by the city’s fashion
A Top-End Texas Leathercraft Hand By Gene Fowler When Clint Wilkinson was born in Denton, Texas, his grandfather Weldon Burgoon bartered a custom-made saddle to pay the doctor bill. Now, 36 years later, Clint carries on the family tradition of leathercraft arts: producing handmade bags, briefcases, wallets and other finely wrought creations in the same location where Weldon’s Saddle Shop served North Texas cowgirls and cowboys for more than half
The Great-Great-Grandpa of Backpacks By Gene Fowler Camille Poirier arrived in Duluth, Minnesota, in the winter of 1870 with “my little stock of leather and tools.” The 32-year-old had learned the shoemaking trade in his native Canada. Like “almost every boy in lower Canada,” he wrote in his autobiography, Camille “had visions of the U.S. as a land of wealth.” At the time Poirier arrived, Duluth, a port on Lake
Arrow & Board creates a new generation of custom leather goods By Lynn Ascrizzi It comes as no surprise that the new moderns — that is, the 20-and-30-somethings — are crazy about high-tech products that fit their digitized lifestyles. But the real jaw-dropper is that this tech-savvy generation also values fine products that are traditionally handcrafted. This trend is evident in the growing success of the three-year-old, artisan leathercraft business,
Leather for Artists By Nick Pernokas In the world of leather, accolades are given to those who can create the most unique or beautiful decoration on an object. So much the better if it’s functional. But there is another school of thought in design, and that is beauty through simplicity. This is hard to define, but the Japanese have a word for it: Shibumi. In Toledo, Spain, there is a
[gallery ids="1424,1429" type="rectangular"] The Forgotten Leather By Nick Pernokas Don Bailey was checking out the saddle vendors at the Denver Market. Don was interested in saddles in a big way as he was the owner and curator of the Bailey Saddle Shop and Saddle Museum in Simla, Colorado. The museum had around 400 saddles from as far away as Afghanistan, but Don’s main interest was in Colorado saddle makers. As
