Full grain leather goods, made by hand in Nelson, BC since 2013.

It Started as a hobby

I didn't set out to start a leather company.

After art school I took a 9-5 office job, and leatherwork was a hobby on the side. I bought a starter set of tools and made myself a wallet, mostly because I always wanted one without a logo on it.

Jill, my wife and co-founder, was the one who said I should put it online. I did, people bought it, and then more people bought it. For the first couple of years the whole company was the two of us in the basement of our house in Nelson, BC, doing all of it: the cutting, the sewing, the packing and the emails. The first video we ever made was shot down there in 2015 (scroll down to see it).

What kept us going was something we noticed early on: most leather goods are not built to last. So we decided ours would be. That meant thick full grain leather, solid brass hardware, construction simple enough to repair, and a guarantee that covers every piece for life. It has been in place since the very first wallet.

The basement is long behind us. The workshop is on Ymir Road now, still in Nelson, and every piece we sell is cut, sewn, burnished and checked there by the people further down this page.

I still carry the first wallet I designed.

Ryan Popoff
Co-founder, Popov Leather

Lifetime Guarantee

Everything we make is covered for life. If it fails under normal use, we repair it or replace it, free. That includes stitching that pulls, hardware that breaks and edges that split.

It does not cover scratches, wear or patina. Full grain leather is supposed to do that, and we like seeing it.

If something goes wrong, get in touch. Call 1-888-777-1309 or use the contact page. A person on our team answers.

Full policy on the returns and exchanges page.

What it is made of, and how

The leather is full grain: the top layer of the hide, grain left intact. It is the strongest part of the hide and the part that ages well instead of wearing out. Ours comes from North American hides and is tanned at respected tanneries. Every piece is cut and finished in our workshop. More on the Our Leather page.

Belts are cut from a single piece of 9 oz leather with a solid brass buckle. Most have no stitching at all. The buckle is held by Chicago screws, so there is no thread to fail and you can change the buckle at home with a screwdriver.

Wallets are stitched by hand with waxed Tiger thread. Bags, and the belts that have stitched edges, are sewn on industrial machines in the same workshop. Snaps and rivets are solid brass. Every edge is burnished by hand before it ships.

The People Who Make it

Everyone at Popov Leather, in one place. Your order will have passed through several of these hands before it reaches you.

The people who make what you buy. All of them.

What we make

Belts, wallets, bags and the small things: notebook covers, watch bands, keychains, dog collars, desk goods. All full grain. All made in our workshop. All covered for life.

Belts · Wallets · Bags and travel · Accessories

Most wallets and small goods can be laser engraved with a name or initials. See engraving.