Leather Fashions Business

3 Leather Fashions Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 8th, 2024

Selling leather fashions is another great business you can initiate. High spending capacity and demand for leather products such as shoes and bags are substantial reasons making the leather fashion business profitable.

To start a leather fashion business, create a business plan and ensure all legal formalities are met. You can set up a leather processing plant, manufacture leather products for sale, or outsource the ready-made ones and resell them to your customers.

In this list, you'll find real-world leather fashions business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a leather fashions business that makes money.

1. Popov Leather ($2.4M/year)

Ryan Popoff, the founder of Popov Leather, started the business as a hobby after graduating from art school. He made a wallet that he was proud of, listed it on Etsy, and to his surprise, someone bought it. From there, sales continued to increase and after two years of working a day job, Ryan was able to quit and focus on Popov Leather full time. Now, 6 years later, the business has grown to employ 10 people full time and has generated over $850,000 in revenue in 2018.

How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 21

Popov Leather: From Handmade Leather Wallets to $900K Revenue

Popov Leather is a Canadian company that makes and sells small leather goods online, with 2018 generating over $850k in revenue and doubling in revenue year-over-year since 2013 through direct-to-consumer sales, primarily for wallets, and backed by great customer service.

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2. Ashland Leather ($720K/year)

Phil Kalas, co-owner of Ashland Leather Company, came up with the idea for the business during a lunch break when he showed his colleague, Dan Cordova, a leather bag he made for his wife. Both of them shared a passion for leather and craftsmanship, as they both worked at Chicago's Horween Leather tannery. With a starting capital of $1,000 and a lot of sleepless nights, they began making wallets that they wanted to wear and eventually expanded their product offerings. Now, their website generates 90% of their business revenue, and they have grown their passion into a $600k annual sales business that provides jobs for five families.

How much money it makes: $720K/year
How many people on the team: 8

Growing A Handcrafted Leather Goods Business To $600K/Year

A successful handcrafted leather goods business that started with just $1000, has grown to $600k annual sales, thanks to a strong brand philosophy, a focus on specific niche terms for SEO, personalized customer experiences, and a team that is trusted to achieve goals autonomously.

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3. JAQET ($12K/year)

Jacques Flynn, a car designer, wanted to create something he had 100% control over and satisfy his creative needs. Inspired by fashion and frustrated with the lack of slim, well-made wallets on the market, he decided to start JAQET. With a clear vision and dedication to handcrafted quality, he learned the necessary skills, designed his products, and launched an online store that garnered attention from fashion and design blogs, leading to rapid growth.

How much money it makes: $12K/year
How many people on the team: 2

Starting A Leather Goods Brand and Manufacturing Your Own Products

Jacques Flynn founded the leather goods company, JAQET, with $500, producing meticulously handcrafted wallets and card holders which are now sold in boutiques globally, with Shopify as the platform.

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