leather-goods
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How a Negative-Heel Shoe Became Canada's Unofficial Comfort Uniform
Roots began with a shoe designed to make people stand differently. Five decades later, its harder trick is keeping heritage, comfort and Canadian identity useful in a fashion market that never stands still.
The Watch Company That Became Fashion's Back-Room Engine
Fossil spent years trying to put a computer on the wrist. Its more revealing talent was there all along: turning somebody else's fashion language into a watch, then placing it almost everywhere.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga built a global business by making silhouette feel like news. Now, under Pierpaolo Piccioli, the house is testing whether couture craft can carry the same cultural charge as provocation.
Christian Dior Couture
Christian Dior Couture is the Paris-based haute couture and luxury fashion maison founded in 1946 by Christian Dior. Owned by luxury group LVMH and led by Chairman and CEO Delphine Arnault, the house designs and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, footwear, jewelry, watches, fragrance and beauty through a global network of boutiques and e-commerce. Famous for the 1947 'New Look' that redefined post-war femininity, Dior remains one of the most recognized names in global luxury, blending French savoir-faire with contemporary creative direction now led by Jonathan Anderson.
Coach
Coach is an American luxury house of leather goods and lifestyle accessories founded in New York in 1941. Known for its horse-and-carriage emblem and craftsmanship, the brand designs handbags, small leather goods, ready-to-wear, footwear, fragrances and accessories at accessible luxury price points. A subsidiary of Tapestry, Inc., Coach has re-energized around a strategy it calls 'expressive luxury,' winning a new wave of Gen Z shoppers with hero franchises like the Tabby and Brooklyn bags and posting strong double-digit growth across North America, China and Europe.
Eleventy USA, LLC.
Eleventy USA is the North American arm of Eleventy, a Milan-based Italian luxury label founded in 2007 by Marco Baldassari and Paolo Zuntini. Built on a philosophy of 'Smart Luxury' - understated, logo-free clothing that blends traditional Italian tailoring with modern comfort - the brand sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, sportswear, shoes, leather goods, eyewear and accessories. Since establishing its New York headquarters in 2016, Eleventy USA has grown its stateside footprint to eight flagships and become a leading example of the 'quiet luxury' movement in America.
Kering
Kering is a French global luxury group that owns and develops a portfolio of Houses in fashion, leather goods, jewelry and eyewear - including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, Pomellato, Qeelin and Ginori 1735, plus Kering Eyewear and Kering Beaute. Controlled by the Pinault family through holding company Artemis, Kering grew out of a lumber and retail company (PPR) and reoriented itself entirely toward luxury, positioning creativity and sustainability at the center of its strategy.
Michael Kors
Michael Kors is an American accessible-luxury fashion house founded in 1981 by designer Michael Kors. Known for jet-set American sportswear, its signature Saffiano-leather handbags, watches and ready-to-wear, the brand sells through hundreds of retail and outlet stores worldwide, wholesale partners and a growing e-commerce business. Now the anchor brand of parent Capri Holdings, Michael Kors accounts for roughly 70% of the group's revenue and targets style-conscious, aspirational consumers who want luxury design at a more attainable price point.
Portland Leather Goods
Portland Leather Goods is a bootstrapped, direct-to-consumer leather brand founded in 2015 by Curtis Matsko in a single-car garage in Portland, Oregon. What began as a handmade journal for his girlfriend grew into one of Etsy's top all-time sellers and a $100M+ business selling handcrafted full-grain leather totes, crossbodies, wallets and accessories. Known for its signature tumbled 'pebble' leather, aggressive social-media community building, and a fiercely loyal customer base, PLG blends artisan craftsmanship with modern DTC marketing to offer high-end leather at accessible prices.
Tecovas
Tecovas is an Austin, Texas-based western brand that set out to be the "Warby Parker of cowboy boots" - selling handmade, León, Mexico-crafted leather boots and western apparel directly to consumers at attainable prices. Founded in 2015 by Paul Hedrick, it grew from an online-only startup into an omnichannel retailer with more than 50 stores, roughly $300 million in expected sales, and a loyal community drawn to its blend of heritage craftsmanship and modern retail.
Troubadour Goods
Troubadour Goods is a London-based, B Corp-certified maker of premium bags and accessories built for people who move between the office, the airport and the weekend. Founded in 2011 by two former City of London financiers, Samuel Bail and Abel Samet, the brand pairs functional, understated design with technical performance - waterproof fabrics, ergonomic straps and tech-protective compartments - and an unusually deep sustainability program that culminated in the Orbis Circular Collection, a line of fully recyclable, zero-waste bags made from recycled PET. Its bestselling Apex backpack has been named a best laptop backpack by Wirecutter, Esquire and The Telegraph.
Cuyana
Cuyana is a San Francisco-based direct-to-consumer fashion company built on a two-word philosophy - Fewer, Better Things. Founded in 2011 by Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah, the brand makes premium leather goods, apparel, and travel essentials with sustainably-certified materials and an unusually long product lifespan. It runs a resale program (Revive), seven-plus retail stores, and ships globally.