PROCESS

photo credit: Fabian Palencia

My middle name is Louise! I was working on a collaboration with some friends and realized I had to come up with a name to put on the tag going inside the bag – and it fit perfectly. I've been Louise Goods ever since.

 

All the leather we're working with, with the exception of our belt leather, is made in Florence, Italy at Conceria Walpier.
Our belts are cut from Indian Water Buffalo.
These pieces are entirely handsewn and burnished.

 

Everything we make is designed, cut, channeled, punched, riveted, sewn, and burnished in our studio, currently located in the Bronx, NY, USA. Wallets take 1/2-2 hours to make, and bags can take 1-10 hours. Because of the handmade quality of our work, there will be minor imperfections – we may be strong, but we're not machines! Our humanity gives us character, which translates to the work we do with leather.

  

The majority of our leathers are from Conceria Walpier, an Italian tannery specializing in vegetable tanned leathers. All of the hides are byproducts of the meatpacking industry, and no cows were killed only for their skin.

Everything is sewn by hand with waxed thread, as has been the tradition of leatherworkers for centuries. The stitches made while handsewing hold up extremely well at stress points and lend themselves to quicker repairs: when a handsewn stitch pops, you only lose the stitch in question, unlike machine sewn stitches, which tend to unravel several stitches. 

  

If you want more info on leather, check out the Leather Care section. I'm working on posting some how-tos and process shots. If you have any questions about leatherwork, don’t hesitate to drop me a line!

 

Want to know more about Beck & Louise Goods? Read about How It Started!