About

I make simple leather goods the old fashioned way: hand cut, hand carved, hand dyed, and hand finished. I have had the privilege of studying Western floral and Sheridan style tooling with leathercraft masters Al Gould and Chan Geer; everything else was self-taught through a process of hard work, trial and error, and huge amounts of swearing and personal injury (don't worry, there's no blood on any of my products). 

The designs are either stamped or carved/tooled by hand. What's the difference between the two? Stamping is exactly that: each tool offers a single shape that is hammered into the leather to form a repeat pattern. Carving and tooling is where the design is gradually built up through the use of various knives, tools and stamps, and is often more figurative. Unsurprisingly, carved and tooled items are also more expensive! 

All my pieces are one-offs: even when certain designs are repeated, each individual item has its own unique qualities. Unless otherwise noted in the product descriptions, I generally begin with veg tanned leather or cowhide, both of which impart a certain personality to the piece by way of the  natural range marks, scars, and scratches that often adorn these hides. Rather than seeing these as imperfections, I encourage you to appreciate their odd beauty. 

There are a bunch of leather items in my wardrobe that I've had since I was little, including one belt that was my grandmother's in the 1930s. It's my hope that you'll find something of your own to treasure in this store. 

PS - my name is not actually Desmond. It's Clementine. Yes, like the song.