
How it all started
The Story of the Owl
My name is Johan Strauss and I am the Founder of Strauss & Co. I have a wonderful and supportive friends and an amazing family. I owe all I have to them and all of the hard work I put in my business is to support them.
Pre-Leather Days
I’ve always had a natural attraction to design and art. It started at Outeniqua Highschool where I used to draw and paint people and objects around me. This changed in Grade 10 when I had the opportunity to choose my own direction. Naturally, I chose Visual Communication Design. I had a wonderful teacher who sparked the fire in my brain for design and illustration.
My love for leatherwork.
My love for leatherwork started in 2019. I needed a belt. I’ve always had cheap store brand belts, as you know they are all… well there’s no easy way to say it. Crap. I searched for quality leather belts online and I was surprised at the prices. Full-grain leather belts are so expensive and I had a thought. “This couldn’t be that hard to make myself”.
I was wrong.
My first belt was so hard to make. I didn’t know what size to make it, how far to make the loops, how big the buckle should be or even how to make the holes for the buckle to go through. Many…MANY hours later and I finally had a workable belt that was mine. The best part of the experience was the thought of wearing something that I had made myself.
Now and the Future.
Designing and creating is my passion. All of the products you see on my page is 100% handmade from ethically sourced vendors. I believe in the ethical use and production of leather and leather goods. I use only the top quality full-grain leathers made from bovine hides. I will keep innovating and thinking out of the box.
Thank you for visiting our little shop and we hope you enjoy our content and stories just as much as you enjoy your brand new, handmade with love, Strauss & Co leather product.