For quite sometime, we’ve been following a number of well established labels within the accessories market, but every now and then a brand comes along and truly takes our breath away. Its a quest for untapped artisanship, reliable quality and an unquestionable desire to create the perfect product that we all search for when on the hunt for custom made goods. San Diego based DaLuca Straps just happens to be one of those brands that we came across which peeked our interest more than most.
The craft of handmade leather products is one that takes natural talent and more often than not, a commitment to learning from mistakes in order to gain the necessary knowledge to grow both technically and skillfully. Its a process we’ve often wondered about and recently we had the opportunity to pick the brain of Daniel Luczak, designer and owner of DaLuca Straps. Amazingly, out of his busy schedule he found time to answer a few questions for us.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Daniel and I am the owner of www.DaLucaStraps.com. From an early age and on I have had the common symptoms of an entrepreneur. At the age of 9, I started a small lawn mowing business which progressed to lemonade stands on our street corner, then eventually to a DJ/Events company at the age of 18.
Traveling is also a major part of my life, which is something that I love to do whenever possible and DaLuca has helped me to do more of this. I have a strong love for quality made products, which is why I try to source the absolute best materials for my company and create each product by hand, this includes hand done saddle stitching without a sewing machine.
When did you begin crafting handmade leather goods?
In early 2009 I had just purchased my first Panerai watch and was ready to purchase an aftermarket watch strap for it. As I was looking for the perfect strap, I just couldn’t find one. Some were close, but nothing was spot on. This led me to start working with leather and eventually create watch straps.
Since the inception of DaLuca, we have expanded into many other 100% handmade products such as belts, wallets and camera straps. We have recently started using Horween® Shell Cordovan leather, which is known to be some of the finest leather in the world. Our hardware is generally made in Belgium or Germany and they are always made from solid brass.
