[andrewvc]

A few years ago I got into the hobby of handmade leather goods, like wallets.

One thing that struck me as I learned more about the process was that I could with little training, make a higher quality, hand sewn wallet than even most luxury brands for less money by simply buying more expensive material. Indeed, the wallets I've made are still going strong.

What was also apparent was that I certainly had far less skill than the people constructing those mass market wallets. To be able to operate an industrial sewing machine at speed takes far more skill than learning to saddle stitch by hand. When you stitch by hand you can go quite slowly, and taking the time is the point of a hobby anyway. A sewing machine is slightly worse in quality (but not by a lot) but also scales way better.

If you watch videos of skilled folks sewing together shoes on youtube it's insanely impressive how precise and practiced those folks are!

Back to wallets, most hobbyists will take a very high end and thick piece of leather, cut out the pattern with an exacto knife, skive the parts that need it, hand stitch it with a saddle stitch, then finish the edges. Whereas a mass-produced wallet will often use a blend of leather, synthetic fabric for pocket liners, and be machine stitched, with some other machines used along the way. The hobbyist design is simple and robust, it's just layers of leather thicker than you'd find in a normal wallet.

A mass manufactured wallet, even many luxury ones use thinner pieces of leather and synthetic material and construction methods that are less robust. It's not all about cheapness though, some of these things require extra work. I think a lot of it is about producing a product that looks a specific way, even if it is less durable. For instance some luxury products will use a delicate finish (like a paint) that will look awesome, but just won't last as long as a thick piece of vegetable tan. A thin turned edge can certainly be a failure point as well, and that takes more effort to make! I also have to wonder if these brands intentionally want their items to wear out to encourage people to buy more. I imagine the sort of person who buys a Gucci wallet sees it more as a seasonal status symbol than as an investment.

[verbify]

> Indeed, the wallets I've made are still going strong

I'm confused - I purchase a new leather wallet from a department store (a UK one that has a reputation for quality) about once every ten years. How old are your wallets? Or how quickly did your other wallets wear out?

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

Wife bought a Saddleback Leather wallet for me. I suspect a grandson will inherit it. I wish I could afford other products of theirs. The leather is thick enough that even if a stitch came out, I figure it'd be worth having repaired.

A wallet that only lasts 10 years seems disposable at this point.

[asyx]

With handmade wallets, if you can replace the stitching, they will outlive you. It’s really lining and stitching that gives up usually. That’s why hobbyists rarely line and the stitches are usually in a groove and people use waxed synthetic thread.

[andrewvc]

The oldest are maybe old 5-6 years, but they still look great!

That said depending on how you store it ymmv. If you keep it in the same pocket as your keys you’ll have a different outcome from keeping it in a separate pocket of a bag or just even in its own pocket in your pants.

[intrasight]

Fashion over function is most definitely a thing.

But there's also status signaling in having something that you can pass down to your descendants. Of course that signal only transfers to those in the know.

Edit: My childhood friend inherited from her parents (who inherited from their parents) a badge making company that made leather badges for first responders. They went out of business last year and sold off all their leather stock.

[BobAliceInATree]

It's relatively easy to make a thick leather wallet that will last a couple decades.

It's hard to make a thin leather wallet that will last a couple decades.

Most of the online leather brands that popped-up in the past 20 years are the former, not the latter.