A Simple Belt

I was recently asked by my girlfriend to create something practical that any man would want. Something that would get daily use, not wear out, and stay relevant to the now.

It would need to be a simple and strong design….and one that, ahem, her father might actually enjoy as a birthday present.

It has been two years since my last belt design – part of the Fugitive Series. As simple as they are, they can be a lot of work to create – especially when your strap cutter slips out of your hand, nearly taking off your left big toe, and you are forced to re-cut everything from the start….except the toe. This is to be expected for handmade projects though. I have long been used to the fact that you can’t make it perfect, and that’s essentially why it is beautiful. Check out this article on Wabi-Sabi for a brief intro.

I decided to make this belt from 9oz top grain leather. The intention was to create a deep brown with a lot of walnut husk powder and extra virgin olive oil. After finishing with beeswax – I realized that the leather was so think – it easily absorbed all of the olive oil and stayed a lighter color after drying. In this case I think the lighter color works well since it has a very unique tone – not necessarily available on store-bought belts. So I decided to let things be.

I am now considering adding this classic design to the shop, after a little more experimenting with my all-natural vegetable based dyes, I should get the colors down just right.

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