You may have heard something similar said by some company whose sells items mass produced in a third-world factory by unhappy people incredulous with incomprehension as to what exactly they are making and for whom exactly they are making it. In contrast, all Eternal Leathers products are made by the person who designed them, and I care very much about my work. I'm proud of what I produce; I want to make things that people will cherish in 40 years. I want to make things that people will leave to others after their own leather gives up its ghost, and I think about this while I work. These bags will still be going gorgeous and strong decades after some made-in-china bag purchased on sale for still way-too-much has come apart at the seams and has shredded to tatters and is sitting in the middle of a landfill. If you don't believe me, see here for photos of my own personal bag. It's been on my shoulder every single day for the past 12 years, it's more gorgeous than ever, and it has yet to need a single stitch replaced. About 7 years ago the steel buckle on the shoulder strap broke, so I suppose you could say that our stitching is stronger than steel.
Every Eternal Leathers product is completely unique. There are no patterns. I design as I go, letting the natural lines of the skin tell me what to do. I cut as little as possible, and the main body of the bag is always one solid piece of leather. You will never see this in any industrially-produced leatherwork; companies want to use smaller and cheaper scraps and sew them together since their labor costs pennies. But it's much stronger to preserve the integrity of the skin and I find the natural cut of the hide aesthetically more pleasing as well.
Every product is uniquely adorned. Buckles are solid brass, rivets are solid copper and brass. Sometimes I decorate bags with special pieces which I've uncovered in my travels. Silver, bronze, iron and bone, glass beads from Morocco, Mexican obsidian, onyx or quartz, some strange brooch I picked up somewhere. I've got sacks and boxes of old buttons and beads that I've been collecting for decades, and I've got a wooden treasure chest full of magic into which I dip when looking for the final touch for a special piece.
Concerning the use of leather and the abuse of animals...
Every product is uniquely adorned. Buckles are solid brass, rivets are solid copper and brass. Sometimes I decorate bags with special pieces which I've uncovered in my travels. Silver, bronze, iron and bone, glass beads from Morocco, Mexican obsidian, onyx or quartz, some strange brooch I picked up somewhere. I've got sacks and boxes of old buttons and beads that I've been collecting for decades, and I've got a wooden treasure chest full of magic into which I dip when looking for the final touch for a special piece.
Concerning the use of leather and the abuse of animals...
Cows aren't dying for their skins, they're dying for their meat. I don't eat meat, I haven't for 22 years, but as long as this is happening, I feel it is important to not waste the leather. I consciously and gratefully take the skin and I transform that precious resource into beautiful works that will be cherished for decades. I hope to respect life with this creative process, and to continue a tradition as old as we are.
