Introduction
Hello, my name is James Edward Collins. I am the artist & founder of BRÖRHUCO (pronounced bro-roo-co).
What does Brorhuco mean? This is the same question I asked! The story is a simple one. One day while visiting my mom, keeping in mind that she is an avid reader, player of Scrabble & crossword puzzles (the complete opposite of myself) I asked her if she would like to name my brand. She agreed, and 20 minutes later (no exaggeration), she presented "BRORHUCO". It sounded cool to me, but I looked at her puzzled, "What does it mean?" "It's the first 2 letters of [4 beloved family member's] names, and they're in birth order!" she stated. Genius! I knew that I had tasked the perfect soul for naming my brand! My only contribution to the name was the diaeresis or umlaut, (whichever you prefer, because it has absolutely no bearing on how "BRÖRHUCO " is pronounced) I just added because it looks cool, dang it, so leave me alone linguist pros!
I am the only **employee.
My objective is to create unique and usable art, which is top quality, luxurious, Earth friendly and delights you completely!
**ARTIST NOTE: I currently have a "real" 40+ hour/week job; therefore, my current production is approximately 40-60 leather items annually, in my spare time. If you have ever gone antique or estate shopping, you may have hesitated on an item, then went back later, only to find it was gone. A missed opportunity! If you love one of my items, buy it now, otherwise you may miss the opportunity. If this happens, please reach out to me and I will try to create something similar, which may take several weeks to complete. Feel free to reach out with customized requests as well and I will be happy to work with you to create the item of your dreams.
Lastly, I sincerely thank you for considering BRÖRHUCO as your slow fashion luxury leather brand. My goal is to delight & please all clients, so please, please, reach out to me with any observations, recommendations, questions or concerns.
I design my own templates and all leather parts are hand cut, using a scary sharp blade. I use water based leather stains & leather paint, in the same vein as the veg tanned leather: less polluting! The staining process is very drying and creates a stiff, undesirable feel to the leather, so mink oil is added and each leather part is hand kneaded, to acquire a luxurious suppleness. After which, each piece is hand sewn on an industrial machine using size T70 polyester or nylon thread. Finishing touches include a first, then second application of natural leather coat, then a final layer of beeswax-mink oil polish. Each finished piece is then stress tested along the seams, buffed and prepped for their photo shoots. The final piece is re-polished, buffed and wrapped in plant-able seed paper & placed in a product box before shipment to the client.
Alright, I’m ready for my close up Mr. DeMille.
Slow Fashion DefinedSlow fashion is the opposite of the current state of fashion commerce. The long running status quo of "you must be in style and style changes every season" has turned out to be very unhealthy for the planet. Remember that chart on my home page? Most clothes and goods which are mass produced, are done so with the goals being: cheap production, maximum profit and inexpensive to the consumer. The result being clothes/goods made of plastic, literally, and destined to a landfill after a very short useful life. No heirlooms bought!The hidden, or more accurately, ignored side of the equation, is the cheap, usually child labor, in non-democratic countries abroad. We vote with our dollars you know. I don't have to go into detail as to why "fast fashion" is bad news. Don't take my word for it, do the research yourself.
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More about the Products
The two pocket bi-fold consists of eight pieces, including the liner & interfacing. Add six more pieces, making 14 separate pieces including snaps, when the coin pouch option is desired. Each card pocket holds 4-5 cards or 8-10 total cards per wallet. The coin pouch will hold 22 quarters ($5.50) max. Store a spare house key, or that washer, nut, small bolt or screw you need to compare at the hardware store...or maybe even a ring for that special someone! |
More about the artist
James Edward Collins -born in Mesa Arizona.
I have spent most of my life in this subtly gorgeous Sonoran Desert.
My journey with art started as a young lad. My drawings received praise from childhood peers; one kid in my first or second grade class sticks in my mind as being the first catalyst to my pursuing art. I drew this elephant during the allotted art time and he sincerely inquired, "Wow! Are you a real artist?" "Why yes I am!" I stated without doubt.
Through the school years I took as many art classes as were available to me. During my working years I have completed countless hours consuming information on fashion, leather crafting, staining, painting techniques, shoe making and have even watched several art genre competitions to gain inspiration and insight. I love it all! In recent years, I have concentrated on honing my skills in leather which include skiving, blade sharpening and sewing on an industrial machine.
I started mainly as a painter. I never put much effort into creating a business surrounding the hobby. Early on, I was put off by the attitudes and shunning from established galleries towards unknown artists. Honestly, I am bored working with two dimensional surfaces at any rate (to be interpreted in both contexts). There's something more satisfying with creating an object out of raw materials, the result being both artistic and utilitarian such as wallets & shoes.
So what about the shoes James?
They truly are my ultimate aspiration and passion. Images burst in my mind with dozens of styles and hundreds of variations.
My current dilemmas are funding and time. I work 40+ hours in a good corporation with nice benefits and a salary which pays the bills and funds my budding business, but not much more. I taught myself how to make all leather, hand welted shoes from several books, the internet plus hours of trial, error, contemplation and expense. Although I'm proud of this accomplishment, things that I've read about the industry seem to lean towards becoming bespoke trained, before an artist is taken seriously. I respect that, and can't wait for the point in time when or if I can make that possible. An artist only stops learning once they take that final rest! Making the shoes (most recent featured in above photos) took 3 months using all of my "spare time". Meaning at worst, I can make 4 pairs a year, at a minimum of $1,200 each equals $4,800 per year. That's hardly a living wage or business builder! Further, $1,200 doesn't factor in the supplies, marketing, packaging, ad & site fees. Bespoke classes are expensive and are located in very few states. Unfortunately, Arizona is not one of those states. I'm a homeowner, and middle aged. Relocating to another state to go back to school just isn't feasible currently. Lack of school won't stop me from trying to break into the industry, don't get me wrong! Just time and cash. Another big hurdle I have encountered is the accessibility to shoe lasts or forms. Big corporations in the US will only sell bulk, costing thousands of dollars a small business doesn't usually have without acquiring debt. I have no desire to obtain debt, especially considering debt is usually the death of a small budding business. The option I used briefly was purchasing single pairs of shoe lasts from Russia, but it would take 2-3 months to receive them. Hardly a turn around time worthy of creating a business model, especially when another 2-3 months are needed to build the shoe! With current US/Russia relations, I'm not even sure buying is an option at the present. The old masters made their own lasts, so shall I, eventually. I've already spent thousands of dollars just trying to build an inventory of tools, materials and supplies for a collection of wallets laudable for sale & the other expenses surrounding the launch of BRÖRHUCO. Building shoe lasts is a whole new skill-set & set of expensive tools. The amount of the leather it takes to make a pair of all leather shoes is expensive. Baby steps, James, baby steps. I want to create a reputation of quality as one of my high priority goals. I believe more folks are willing to take a chance on a new brand if offered at a $100 price point or thereabouts, rather than a minimum $1,200 price tag on a pair of shoes. I think of shoe making as the Leather Olympics, and I'm still in the final trials! My plan is to start off with small ticket items, such as the wallets, then small bags and graduate to purses perhaps. Then eventually generate enough income from my sales, to enable me to supplement with a part-time, rather than full-time job. At that moment, I see having more time to broaden my skill-set. Ultimately I plan to grow BRÖRHUCO organically until I can focus 100% of my efforts and time on the business and further education. This is the theory & plan. Best laid plans...
You get the picture!
Talking about which, below are some samples of my past paintings, plus one of myself as a child experimenting with paints!
Enjoy the gallery below!
Thank you so much for visiting and your interest in BRÖRHUCO
Best for last: I want to thank my Family & friends for encouraging my passion throughout the years! XOXOXOXO
I have spent most of my life in this subtly gorgeous Sonoran Desert.
My journey with art started as a young lad. My drawings received praise from childhood peers; one kid in my first or second grade class sticks in my mind as being the first catalyst to my pursuing art. I drew this elephant during the allotted art time and he sincerely inquired, "Wow! Are you a real artist?" "Why yes I am!" I stated without doubt.
Through the school years I took as many art classes as were available to me. During my working years I have completed countless hours consuming information on fashion, leather crafting, staining, painting techniques, shoe making and have even watched several art genre competitions to gain inspiration and insight. I love it all! In recent years, I have concentrated on honing my skills in leather which include skiving, blade sharpening and sewing on an industrial machine.
I started mainly as a painter. I never put much effort into creating a business surrounding the hobby. Early on, I was put off by the attitudes and shunning from established galleries towards unknown artists. Honestly, I am bored working with two dimensional surfaces at any rate (to be interpreted in both contexts). There's something more satisfying with creating an object out of raw materials, the result being both artistic and utilitarian such as wallets & shoes.
So what about the shoes James?
They truly are my ultimate aspiration and passion. Images burst in my mind with dozens of styles and hundreds of variations.
My current dilemmas are funding and time. I work 40+ hours in a good corporation with nice benefits and a salary which pays the bills and funds my budding business, but not much more. I taught myself how to make all leather, hand welted shoes from several books, the internet plus hours of trial, error, contemplation and expense. Although I'm proud of this accomplishment, things that I've read about the industry seem to lean towards becoming bespoke trained, before an artist is taken seriously. I respect that, and can't wait for the point in time when or if I can make that possible. An artist only stops learning once they take that final rest! Making the shoes (most recent featured in above photos) took 3 months using all of my "spare time". Meaning at worst, I can make 4 pairs a year, at a minimum of $1,200 each equals $4,800 per year. That's hardly a living wage or business builder! Further, $1,200 doesn't factor in the supplies, marketing, packaging, ad & site fees. Bespoke classes are expensive and are located in very few states. Unfortunately, Arizona is not one of those states. I'm a homeowner, and middle aged. Relocating to another state to go back to school just isn't feasible currently. Lack of school won't stop me from trying to break into the industry, don't get me wrong! Just time and cash. Another big hurdle I have encountered is the accessibility to shoe lasts or forms. Big corporations in the US will only sell bulk, costing thousands of dollars a small business doesn't usually have without acquiring debt. I have no desire to obtain debt, especially considering debt is usually the death of a small budding business. The option I used briefly was purchasing single pairs of shoe lasts from Russia, but it would take 2-3 months to receive them. Hardly a turn around time worthy of creating a business model, especially when another 2-3 months are needed to build the shoe! With current US/Russia relations, I'm not even sure buying is an option at the present. The old masters made their own lasts, so shall I, eventually. I've already spent thousands of dollars just trying to build an inventory of tools, materials and supplies for a collection of wallets laudable for sale & the other expenses surrounding the launch of BRÖRHUCO. Building shoe lasts is a whole new skill-set & set of expensive tools. The amount of the leather it takes to make a pair of all leather shoes is expensive. Baby steps, James, baby steps. I want to create a reputation of quality as one of my high priority goals. I believe more folks are willing to take a chance on a new brand if offered at a $100 price point or thereabouts, rather than a minimum $1,200 price tag on a pair of shoes. I think of shoe making as the Leather Olympics, and I'm still in the final trials! My plan is to start off with small ticket items, such as the wallets, then small bags and graduate to purses perhaps. Then eventually generate enough income from my sales, to enable me to supplement with a part-time, rather than full-time job. At that moment, I see having more time to broaden my skill-set. Ultimately I plan to grow BRÖRHUCO organically until I can focus 100% of my efforts and time on the business and further education. This is the theory & plan. Best laid plans...
You get the picture!
Talking about which, below are some samples of my past paintings, plus one of myself as a child experimenting with paints!
Enjoy the gallery below!
Thank you so much for visiting and your interest in BRÖRHUCO
Best for last: I want to thank my Family & friends for encouraging my passion throughout the years! XOXOXOXO
These glow. Same painting as below except in the dark with a black-light shining
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Look closely. My computer screen shows the family photo I referenced for the painting above. I had to confirm with Grandpa what year & make the car was, because it only showed the doors & half the back wheel. I re-created the rest. FYI- 1920-23 Model-T
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My Master Painter study of the Abduction of Psyche by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I did not use a grid drawing application on my phone. This was done using traditional paintbrush handle proportion measurements.
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