FRD | The Filson Journal

hand holding a silver tool and a black tool working on creating a floral design on a piece of dark leather

The Art of Hand Tooled Leather

Hand-tooled leather goods is an art form that combines durability and creativity, with a material that only gets better with time. Hand-worked leather has its own long history. In the United States, this includes items of everyday use like horse saddles, bridles, and other tack used throughout the old West from the 19th century to the present day. Clothing and personal items, like belts, wallets, gun holsters, and carrying cases for long guns like rifles were also popular and considered worth the time and expense of having specialized designs added to the leatherwork. Footwear for both men and women have been a staple of leather-worked designs as well.

5 Min

Profiles

The Filson Restoration Department & Workshop

We’ve taken pride in the quality of our craftsmanship for over a century, and in keeping with that tradition, the Filson Restoration Department and Filson Workshop were formed. We caught up with Jeremy Bennett, Jon Duce, and Marissa Barnard from the workshop team to find out what goes into restoring a Filson original and creating a one-of-a-kind piece from salvaged resources.

5 Min