With some brands merely pay lip service to the notion of being hand-made, there are several companies who make good on this promise, making products from scratch in their home country. One such label is US-based Tanner goods.
Based in Portland, Tanner Goods originally came to life as a spin-off to streetwear brand, Hecklewood. The company mainly focused on the making of belts before branching off into other accessories such as wallets, satchels and leather wristbands. They’ve also become known for their low-key collaborations, having teamed up with 3Sixteen for a series of tote bags and made the patches for Tellason’s denim line.
In the beginning the belts were given names like ‘The Scout’ and ‘The Eastern Bloc’ to reflect their military influences. In the words of the belt makers, the belts combined “heritage styling with Eastern European military functionality”.
Fabric-wise, they mainly use leather, using English bridle leather for belts and lanyards and grain leather for wallets and bags. Sourcing all the materials from US-based tanneries, they usually produce pieces in four colours: black, brown, tan and an untreated natural colour.
Whilst all colours do well, the natural colour is very popular amongst denim aficionados as they’re the ones most prepared to wait for their clothing to grow old gracefully. With a great line of products and upcoming collaborations with the likes of The Brooklyn Circus, a New York based boutique, Tanner Goods future is looking very bright indeed.
