 Andy has always had a knack for being creative as he comes from the professional world of Graphic Design. He got into leathercrafting when his friend showed him his workshop and taught him some of his skills. As Andy's new hobby grew, he improved by continuously teaching himself the tools of the leather trade. Eventually, he decided to start Blackthorn Leather. His love for leather working grew and grew so much so that in November of 2017, Andy quit his job as an art director for a publishing company and make Blackthorn Leather his fulltime gig. He told me: "Blackthorn Leather is one person (Andy). I do all the design, production, shipping, branding, and marketing. I started the brand officially in 2009. It (leather crafting) has been amazing doing something you have a passion for. " -Andy Mock Over the last couple of years, I have acquired a small collection of Andy's products (he even made my groomsmen gifts which were custom key fobs). Thanks to him, EDC items never go missing (well, almost never) because I throw them in my hand tooled, custom Valet Tray. Another product I have is my own custom key fob in natural vegetable tanned leather complete with my initials. The key fob has seen some considerable patina develop over the last couple of years. Out of all my Blackthorn Leather Goods, I would say that the The Brogued Rover II: Minimalist Wallet is my favorite. It is a beautiful wallet that has a money clip that doubles as a very handy bottle opener. The color is called "Antique Brown" and is hand dyed and tooled is by Andy. The leather itself is vegetable tanned and is so strong that it actually takes a bit for the wallet to stretch out to hold more cards. I like to carry it in my front pocket, which is slides easily in and out of. Despite having the money clip, the wallet does not feel too bulky and I hardly notice it is there. The tooling on the wallet is second to none and really makes it such a unique piece. What makes it even more special is that it is completely customizable; from the designs to the color. In addition, you can swap out the money clip/bottle opener for a pen pocket instead. Truly a remarkable work of art.
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