About
How it started
Leatherwork found us by chance. A close friend of ours saved some leather hides from the landfill and sent them our way. Over time we began to work with leather. Learning this new material, Leanne made a few leather-bottom catch all bowls; Nick made a few wallets and Hemlock and Hyde was born. After solidifying a few designs we began doing local markets. We were amazed that people loved our goods. We used the profits from our markets to buy and upgrade equipment and never looked back.
After that initial batch of leather ran out we knew we had to find a consistent source for our bags. We dug in to research and learned a lot. We learned the difference between Chrome tanned and Vegetable tanned leathers. The lives of factory workers around the world and the lifecycle of cheaply made goods. That's why you won't find those questionable practices at Hemlock + Hyde. We realized that we connected deeply with the idea of Slow Fashion.
"We were drawn to the timeless feel of leather, and sharing ethically produced goods "
To us, Slow fashion means considering the whole system of a product from start to finish. From the materials through the entire lifetime it is in use. We proudly source our leather from out home state of Pennsylvania and use the best raw materials we can find.
We envision a fashion industry where quality, fair trade, fair wage are the norm. Where the environmental stewardship and customer impact are considered an integral part of our success.
Our Mission
Are you unknowingly supporting an enormous supply chain with a huge carbon footprint? Probably. A lot of goods and accessories are made like this. Raw materials sourced from country one, refined in country two, assembled in another country, possibly boxed and shipped from a fourth country then sent to you. The life of one product that basically did a full rotation around the globe. That’s a lot of travel and a lot of energy. We’re here to show you another way.
We want to create wearable art that you can be proud of.
We design, cut, make and ship all our bags from right here in the USA
Built with longevity in mind (no planned obsolescence here)
How we (and you) support our mission
When we have enough, all our usable scrap is boxed up and periodically posted on our 'Make with Us' section. This gives you a chance to save leather from the landfill and ignite your creativity. These are perfect for small projects including earrings, cardholders, bookmarks or whatever else you can dream up.
We offer a discount on your next purchase for those of you who want to turn in a Pre-Loved Hemlock + Hyde bag. We give them some love and a little bit of elbow grease and find them a new home. It's important to us that we aren't adding to the landfill and keeping our bags in circulation for as long as possible.
We’re not perfect but we are trying to find a more efficient and environmentally friendly way. As they say perfection gets in the way of progress. We can all make a difference with these small changes.
To find out more about us and our daily process
Follow us @hemlockandhyde or on Youtube
Send us an email hello@hemlockandhyde.com
See Articles Featuring Us!
Philadelphia Magazine (Philly Mag)
Podcasts (newest first)