California Apparel News

West Coast designers carve out a niche for handcrafted leather goods and accessories.

From footwear made entirely in Southern California to accessories with roots in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach and a belt brand made in downtown Los Angeles, West Coast accessories designers Calleen Cordero, Will Adler and Jeff Fuller are proving that there’s a market for modern accessories made with traditional craftsmanship.

Calleen Cordero: From footwear to accessories, made in LA

Calleen Cordero’s fascination with footwear started in her teens when she worked at high-end boutiques in Marin County, Calif. Over the years, she studied the industry, working in sales and marketing for heavy hitters in footwear such as Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden and Dr. Martens.

Cordero takes inspiration in the styles and techniques of the 1970s, but when she launched her own line in 2000 in North Hollywood, Calif., she was entering a changed world.

“There used to be a lot of tanneries here in Los Angeles, but they have all closed,” she said. “North Hollywood used to be a thriving shoe industry. I am bringing back a lost art, [implementing] our own components.”

At the Calleen Cordero factory, the designer employs about 40 artisans who use traditional applications and precise measurement to handcraft her footwear and accessories from a huge assortment of leather Cordero has amassed over the last decade. “I keep everything,” she said, estimating that her team can make up to 80 pairs of shoes with the leather she has in inventory. She typically designs up to 70 styles a year.

Most shoe companies buy leather just for shoes. There is a certain pull and weight to it, which is always consistent in manufacturing, she said. But Cordero prefers using garment-weight leather.

“I have to do a lot of work to make them translate into shoes,” she said. “It can be super labor intensive.”

Cordero uses a lot of vegetable-tanned leathers, which can come at a higher cost but are less toxic to the environment. “I love using this type of leather, but it can go for $100 per square foot,” she said. “A pair of boots can use up to 10 [pieces], so it will end up costing $120 for one pair of boots.”

She often plays around with the material, painting it or hand-finishing it with dye, wax or glaze.

“We are the only factory in the world that does this leatherwork; we even make our own soles,” Cordero said.

Cordero’s staff sculpts the wood for the shoes from planks of sustainably harvested alder wood and recycled plywood. The pieces are hand-molded to provide arch support and are then sanded, painted and waxed.

Cordero uses the same artisan approach to her accessories, which include handbags, belts and jewelry featuring solid brass and nickel hardware designed to last and age beautifully.

“I use horse tackle for the belts,” she said. “I want to use real, durable pieces that last forever—not with zinc inside. They have an antique finish, and that is what sets us apart. We age it, put it in a solution, blow torch it and hand kick-press it in, so the more you wear it, the better it looks.”

Manufacturing in-house can be expensive, and Cordero prefers small orders to huge production runs, sometimes producing six to eight pairs per order. Still, wholesale prices are approximately $250 for shoes and handbags.

Calleen Cordero shoes sell in about 150 high-end boutiques worldwide, including Fred Segal, Madison and Simply Soles. The designer also runs two Calleen Cordero stores in Southern California, at Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood, Calif., and on Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley.

Will Leather Goods: Preserving the artistry while building a brand

Will Adler of Will Leather Goods got his start selling leather belts on the Venice Beach boardwalk in 1981.

“I had to learn to do everything very quickly—from selling to manufacturing to negotiating contracts to, on many occasions, cutting the leather myself,” he said. “I had to fully immerse myself in the leather industry in order to gain as much experience as I could.”

The designer is inspired by authentic American craftsmanship with a desire to make classic, timeless leather goods that can be passed down for generations.

After 25 years as a leather craftsman, Adler decided to move beyond small goods and launched Will Leather Goods.

“I needed a bigger framework for the brand,” he said. “In the leather-goods industry, the best way to show off a brand is with a great bag.”

Today, Adler operates out of Eugene, Ore., with a flagship store in Venice, Calif. In addition, Adler owns Spirit Leather Works, Will Leather Goods’ parent company, which is a Nike Golf distributor.

The Will Leather Goods collection consists of men’s and women’s belts, bags, small leather goods, apparel, home goods, and jewelry. This summer, Adler will add shoes to the collection. Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York andspecialty boutiques carry the line.

Products are manufactured locally in California—as well as Texas, Mexico and China—and materials are predominately purchased in Mexico, the U.S. and Italy.

Adler is a strong believer in using repurposed leather. “There is life to leather, and we want to respect where the leather comes from,” he said. “We use reclaimed leather from cows that were used for meat. No new animals were killed to make our products. After bags and belts are cut from the skin, we find thoughtful products to create from the scraps that fall onto the cutting-room floor. Leather cuffs, key chains and coasters are just a few of the ways we use up the entire hide.”

Adler’s ultimate goal is to honor the animal, reduce environmental waste and synchronize the leathers throughout the collections, he said.

“There’s been leather that has been preserved for 200 to 300 years,” he said. “Unlike clothing, which disintegrates, leather can be reworked, refurbished and reconditioned to last for hundreds of years. It’s all in how you construct it, the hardware you use to fasten it together and how you take care of it.”

In 2012, Adler launched a second collection, called Found, which consists of surplus vintage textiles and materials that are reworked into bags and accessories.

The designer also has a charitable program, called Give WILL, in which, for every Will Leather Goods bag sold, a backpack is donated to a child attending public school.

Old Stud: Meeting demand with hand-craftsmanship

Jeff Fuller’s path to handcrafted accessories is part happenstance and part Economics 101.

Fuller had been working in the vintage-clothing business since 1991, eventually owning nine boutiques, called the Junkyard Store, located throughout the Los Angeles area. When he closed the stores in 1996, he had leftover inventory of vintage leather belts.

“In 2000, when the waistband dropped for jeans, there was a necessity for belts,” he said. “So I was well-positioned to meet a demand.”

After running through his supply of 1940s leather belts embossed with studs and jewels, he began fabricating the goods by hand, selling them under the label Old Stud.

Planet Blue was Fuller’s first account, and since then brands such as True Religion and Ralph Lauren (RRL) have been placing orders for Old Stud pieces. Fred Segal and Japanese-based retailer Hysteric Glamour are loyal clients, as are celebrities such as Mick Jagger, who commissioned Fuller to make guitar straps.

Today, based in the 824 Building in downtown Los Angeles, Fuller uses upcycled leather and incorporates stones such as tiger eye, onyx and turquoise as well as nickel hardware into his premium leather accessories. While some of the pieces are simple and non-studded, others are more elaborate with a distressed look. Fuller and a small team manufacture the collection using 100-year-old machines, which give the pieces an authenticity that is difficult to replicate, he said. Old Stud belts wholesale for $70 to $195.