Western saddlery—saddle stitching, vegetable tanning, hand-burnished edges—set the quality bar that modern leather goods still chase. These techniques weren't decorative; they came from the practical demands of equipment that had to survive years of hard use.
They still outperform mass-market shortcuts today. We apply the same methods to wallets and bags, on a "buy once, buy well" philosophy—pieces meant to improve with age as they take on a natural patina.