About jbrand

My journey into leather working began because of my love for supple leather handbags, and the failure in my quest to find that just right bag. This eventually brought me to a local leather shop looking for a person to make my sketch of that bag. After some conversation, it became clear that the person just might be me...

Leaving the shop with a few basic tools, a luxurious black hide and an ambitious spirit, I started down the road of making that bag in my head.

I get lost in time handling different types of leather, feeling their texture, holding their weight. I’ve learned to appreciate the unique characteristics of each hide, like fingerprints, no two are identical. Some tell tales of life on the range with their natural brands and scars, while others showcase nature’s artistry through varying grain patterns. It’s thrilling to unfold a hide, imagine the possibilities it holds and begin the puzzle of figuring out where each section should be cut. Hand stitches can wander like lost travelers, and cuts are unforgiving, but there is something meditative about the process, satisfying pulling each stitch tight.

Every piece carries both my vision and the natural beauty of the material itself – a collaboration between maker and medium that continues to slowly evolve with each new design. What started as a quest, became not just a craft, but a passion of seeing beauty in imperfection and value in things that are made to last.