Blog Posts

We believe in the power of confidence and how it can transform your life; which is why we strive to provide a means of self expression through our personalized leather goods. By offering a diverse range of genuine leather accessories and the option to customize our products complimentary, we give you the power to stand-by your individual identity and let your style, personality, and voice shine through. Being transparent about our brand values, we wanted to also equip you with the knowledge of how these personalized leather goods come to life.

Personalization: How It's Done

Our expert artisans treat each personalized accessory as it's own work of art. They start by selecting the optimal cut of leather based on the chosen customization selected. All personalized items are hand-stamped using brass-cut dies which are heated to 256 degrees in a hot-stamping press, and adhesive hot-stamping foil that is placed between the brass dies and the leather canvas. The product is secured in position, and multiple layers of foil are added to provide consistency and longevity for your personalized elements. All custom stamps are placed in the ideal location based on your product's shape and texture, and are finished with additional layers of sealant. The result: elegant monogrammed leather accessories that stand the test of time.

Virtual Customization

Step into our virtual customizer by clicking ‘Personalize’ on the individual product page and give your accessory the custom treatment it deserves. Our selection of foil colors, emojis, numbers, letters, and capability of up to 6 characters gives you many customization options. Experience the customization process right before your eyes where you can preview the design and placement of your desired personalization. So don't limit yourself, or your creativity, and design your favorite personalized genuine leather accessory right now, after all its free of charge completely complimentary.

Make A Statement - Personalization Ideas

Perhaps the most popular personalization element is initials, but there are so many ways to get creative and express yourself. In addition to traditional initials or names, some other great ideas include nicknames (think MOM, BESTIE, KING, etc.), birthdays (whether your own birthday, or the birthday of your first born), anniversaries (a thoughtful gift idea), and lucky numbers. The addition of emojis adds even more personality to the mix and gives your accessory a character of it's own as an extension of yourself. No matter what, we see personalization as a means to empower you to be proud of your unique identity, no matter where life takes you and your leather accessories.

Mother's Day is the perfect opportunity to show mom how much you love and appreciate them. As the woman who gave you everything, she deserves the very best.  For this occasion, you'll want to put a little extra thought into your gift giving ideas to make the moment that much more meaningful. On top of our complimentary customization allowing you to make each piece one-of-a-kind by adding a name, initials, or emoji, we've rolled out special Mother's Day gift packaging to mark this special holiday. If you're looking for a gift for your mom, grandmother, aunt, or friend that's a mom, we've got you covered with a diverse range of personalized leather accessories, guaranteed to make them smile. 

See more gifts for her.

Starting a new business is a risky trial, and there's no guarantee of success. Investopedia tells us that only a half of all companies remain in operation past five years. However, that's not a reason to panic just yet. With the right planning and mentorship, an entrepreneur can build and maintain a successful company easily. Michael Louis Maddaloni (@michaellmaddaloni) is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Starting as a producer and seller of Jewelry and t-shirts as a youth, he's now the proud owner and manager of several businesses, including the eponymous accessories line Michael Louis. Here, he explains what he learned as a budding entrepreneur that could help other first-time business owners.

Do What You Do Best - The Launch of Michael Louis NY

Michael's start in the online business world came from his brand Michael Louis NY (@michaellouisny). He started sketching designs while in college in New York City and eventually started producing and marketing these pieces himself. He had an innate talent for marketing and a flair for figuring out what people like. The result was a brand that grew in recognition over a short space of time. Eventually, the brand's popularity reached influential people, and the marketing snowball that is Instagram did the rest. Today, the brand remains committed to handcrafting exceptional leather products and is looking at expanding into different areas of the globe.

Rely On Your Mindset

Michael has always been someone who never second-guessed himself. He attributes his success to curiosity and a questioning nature. He notes that, as people grow up, they lose their interest and ability to question the things they see around them. Instead of thinking outside the box, they live inside it. Michael believes that entrepreneurs shouldn't be bound by the standards of thinking inside the box. A true entrepreneur always questions what's accepted. According to Forbes, Henry Ford once said that if he asked the consumer what they wanted, they'd have told him faster horses. Entrepreneurs need to think along those same lines.

Retaining Relevance Into the Future

Michael's businesses will always have relevance, and that's a crucial idea to note regarding the longevity of a business. His brand Michael Louis taps into the primal nature of humans to embrace their own unique identity by offering personalization and enjoy the finest craftsmanship. Lifestyle will always remain relevant, and curating products to enhance daily essentials makes for an excellent long-term business plan.

Moving From Strength to Strength

Michael has a successful series of businesses, but he's looking for the next challenge like any entrepreneur. He's looking at slowly increasing his staff over time and getting individuals he can trust to help expand his business further. Marketing strategies to reach out to more consumers are also part of his plan. His personal brand is also growing by creating a podcast and a book that he intends to release in the future. Michael thinks that anyone can do what he did once they stay true to their principles. Entrepreneurs may be surprised to learn that he's right.

To create premium long-lasting products, we first look to the raw materials. Providing a foundation of integrity, the components of the finished product are just as important as the craftsman who assemble it. Our focus therefore begins with our commitment to utilizing the finest genuine leather.

Leather Sourcing

Not all leather is created equally, which is why we went through a years long process to research the best leather tanneries to produce leather which is optimized for our products. Starting with the raw leather hide, we carefully select each piece based on various characteristics like it's grain, thickness, consistency, and overall look. We use full-grain calfskin leather for our core collection of pebbled leather products which is the highest grade available and ensures the leather is as strong as possible. Since full-grain leather is not altered from it's original condition, there can be minor variations in the grain throughout the hide, which is indicative of it's natural state. Such variations we celebrate as natural characteristics and thus make each product unique in it's own way. Ensuring quality control of the raw leather is of the utmost importance, as it sets the stage for what we have to work with in production. 

Leather Processing

Once the leather hides are selected there is a multiple step process to turn the raw leather into a finished leather hide suitable for production. These first stages of processing involve preparatory steps to clean the hide by removing any excess debris or grease and making it stable by curing the hide to avoid bacterial growth or decay. Through multiple soaking processes involving salt, water, and chemical components, the hide will become clean and stable which is known as tanning. By using chrome tanning, the leather becomes more soft and supple, enhancing the natural elements of the material. Each step of the preparation is crucial as it prepares the collagen in the hide for proper penetration of tanning agents and dyes in the latter part of the hide processing. During the dying process, leather hides are soaked in a dye bath which allows the coloring to fully and evenly penetrate the leather, and hides can then be laid to dry. Finally, the leather hides may be treated with a conditioner to maintain their soft character and/or a sealant to protect from wear and tear. Before hides are moved into production, a final quality control check is performed to check for any tears or imperfections that may not qualify for a finished product.

Production of Leather Goods 

After the leather hides are inspected and ready for production, our artisans use strict standards to determine which parts of the hides are used and measurements are taken to calculate yields for specific products being produced. For example, a leather bifold wallet may require a thicker part of the leather to support the free-form structure of the wallet, so careful consideration is taken during this stage to identify which parts of the leather hides will be allotted to each product type and element. The leather is cut using brass dies to maintain consistency across units, and then may be skivved, adhered, burnished, hammered, and/or sewn to achieve the finished leather product.

As the core component of the Michael Louis collection, using genuine top-grade leathers is essential to our products. Throughout the entire leather sourcing and production processes we see the end in sight, maintaining uncompromising values and procedures to guarantee exceptional leather accessories.

There are a few items we can never leave home without: our phone, wallet, and keys. Michael Louis' practical accessories for these everyday essential items have become staples of the brand over the years. After countless requests from the ML community, we are so excited to introduce New Product Sets to our official website collections. 

Bringing you the best of the essentials in a single product bundle, our New "Card Holder Set" features those three essential items - a protective phone case, a classic card holder, and classic key holder in a single set. Now it is easy to shop the full product set from a single page and streamlined experienced.

The new Card Holder set is available in our classic assortment of genuine pebbled leather color ways (Black, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink), as well as our iconic Black Python and Black Croc leather types. Each item can be personalized with Gold Foil name or initials by using the PERSONALIZE button on the product page, where you can choose to personalize one, or all three items directly on-screen in the single experience. Within the virtual customizer you can also select a Phone Case size from the drop-down menu to ensure a seamless fit to your device.

Take a look at the full assortment of Product Sets linked here.