The Making of Our Companions

1. OUR SADDLE STITCH

Our Companions are meticulously and patiently hand-stitched, one stitch at a time with only a pair of needles and a set of skillful hands. An ancient method of the equestrian trade, exemplified by the House of Hermes, saddle stitching is both visually beautiful and unquestionably strong. This rarely-used hand-stitching technique--which cannot be replicated by machines--consists of two cords weaving back and forth through the same stitching hole in opposing directions independently of each other. Unlike stitches made by stitching awls or by machines that unravel entirely when one thread breaks, when one cord in a saddle-stitch gets stressed, the other remains steadfast. 

2. OUR CORDS

Each of our stitches is securely bound together by two thick double-ply cords, twisted and waxed by the seafaring people of Lewiston, Maine. Our cords were made to withstand the salty winds and the stormy sea. And dragons. Sea dragons.

3. OUR FULL-GRAIN VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER

FULL-GRAIN

Each of our Companions is exquisitely crafted from a single premium-grade full-grain North American hide tanned by Wickett & Craig, one of the only two vegetable tanneries in the United States. Our leather traditionally has been made for heavy-duty equestrian gears. Full-grain leather retains all of its natural grains, which contain the hide's strongest fibers, for singular strength and lasting durability. Full-grain leather is distinguished by its authentic beauty. Unlike processed leather that has been sanded and corrected with an artificial grain pattern for uniformity, the natural grains reveal all of the hide's irregularity and imperfections—acknowledging a history of an animal’s life, with all the wrinkles, scratch marks, and scars.

VEGETABLE TANNED

Our leather is drum-dyed, fat-liquored, and hot-stuffed with a unique combination of rich waxes and tallows. Using tannins extracted from tree barks, vegetable tanning is a highly-complex, time-consuming, yet environmentally-conscious technique that has been practiced for thousands of years. As time passes and life pushes forward, our leather develops a rich and beautiful patina with a stubborn resiliency that distinguishes vegetable tanned leather from its chemically-treated cousins.  

4. OUR HARDWARE

Our hardware is die-casted and forged in the states of Georgia and Connecticut. Unassuming and uncompromising, our fasteners meet the functional demand of a lifetime of nine-to-five dragonslayin’.