Walsall is a market town and administrative centre in West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Birmingham, 7 miles (11 km) east of Wolverhampton and 9 miles (14 km) from Lichfield.
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès, is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Its logo, since the 1950s, is of a Duc carriage with horse. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski is the current creative director.
Slazenger is a British sports equipment brand, currently owned by the Frasers Group since 2004. The original private company Slazenger was established as a sporting goods shop in 1881. In 1959, the Slazenger family sold the company to Dunlop, which became Dunlop-Slazenger before it was sold to BTR plc. in 1985.
Blinkers, sometimes known as blinders, are a piece of horse tack that prevent the horse seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side.
Alfred Dunhill Limited is a British luxury goods brand, specialising in ready-to-wear, custom and bespoke menswear, leather goods, and accessories. The company is based in London, where it also owns and operates a leather workshop. Dunhill is currently owned by Richemont Holdings Limited and managed by CEO Andrew Maag.
Samuel Rowland Fisher was a prominent Philadelphia merchant involved in transatlantic trade. He owned a large shipping line that ran between London and Philadelphia, but was exiled and imprisoned during the Revolutionary War because of his Quaker beliefs.
Horse harness is a device that connects a horse to a vehicle or another type of load.
Joseph Alexander Leckie was a British Liberal, later Liberal National politician and leather manufacturer.
Martin Maier was founder and proprietor of Martin Maier Trunk and Bag Company which specialized in making specialty and sample trunks. His company, which was based in Detroit, Michigan, was one of the largest distributors of luggage and leather goods in the Midwestern United States.
The Bona Allen Company is a tannery and leather goods factory that opened in 1873 in Buford, Georgia. It became the nation's largest producer of hand-tooled saddles, bridles, horse collars, postal bags, cowboy boots, and shoes and had a contract to supply the sporting equipment giant, Spalding, with raw material for the manufacture of baseballs and baseball mitts. Starting in the early 20th century Bona Allen saddles were offered in the Sears Mail Order catalog under a variety of names. The Bona Allen Company was owned by Bonaparte Allen Sr. Also known as the Bona Allen Shoe and Horse Collar Factory, the factory closed in 1981 after a fire, and the main tannery building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 3, 2005. It is located at 554 West Main Street. After another fire on February 10, 2015, firefighters allowed the building to burn itself down.
Walsall Leather Museum is located in Walsall, in the West Midlands in England, and was opened in 1988, in a Victorian factory building renovated by Walsall Council. It tells the story of the leather trade in Walsall, charting the town's rise from a small market town into an international saddle-making centre.
G Ettinger Limited is a British company, based in London, specialising in luxury leather goods. Founded in 1934 by Gerry Ettinger, the eponymous company is still 100% family-owned and run.
Tanner Krolle is a manufacturer of leather goods based in London.
The Des Moines Saddlery Company Building is an historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1881 by J. Rubelman of Muscatine, Iowa. He choose to move his operation to Des Moines because of its location on two rivers and the 13 railroads that served the city. It was one of four saddlery firms in a two block area. Rubelman's company made saddles, harnesses and leather works for 20 years. In the years since it has housed a shoe maker, rubber company, stove manufacturer, glove company, the Krispy Kone Company and the Kaplan Hat Company. The later was also the name of the restaurant that was located on the first floor.
Kura (鞍), is the generic name for the Japanese saddle. The word "kura" is most commonly associated with the saddle used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Over time the Japanese added elements of their own until the Japanese saddle became an identifiable style, also known as the samurai saddle.
Gerard Ettinger was the founder of the British designer and manufacturer of luxury leather goods G Ettinger Ltd, as well as a German film producer.
Elisha Peck (1789-1851) was a Massachusetts-born merchant who formed a partnership with Anson Green Phelps. He ran the British side of their business from Liverpool for about thirteen years. The partnership ended in 1834 after an accident at their New York warehouse claimed the lives of seven people. Their assets were divided and Peck took ownership of the metal manufacturing plants at Haverstraw, New York. Phelps continued with the mercantile business that he had developed with Peck, forming a new company called Phelps Dodge.
The House of Finnigans was a British luxury luggage and trunk maker established in 1830, originally in Manchester and later in New Bond Street in London. The House of Finnigans manufactured and produced a wide range of luxury products, including trunks, bags, fashion, jewelry, timepieces, and silverware.
Mark Cross is an American luxury leather goods brand. Founded in 1845, the company started as a bridle, harness, and saddle maker before transitioning to luxury leather goods.
Ken Griffin (1914-1988) was a Western cowboy, leather worker, magician, and author. As a leatherworker, Griffin helped transition leathercraft from strictly a vocation to an accessible hobby through his work and teaching. As a magician, Griffin and his wife performed world wide with The Ken Griffin Show.
