Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/135430
THAT Antique French fabrics line a Devilish wallet. ALLEY Cat B Y A M Y A DA M S W ith his patched jeans, attractively unstyled hair and unassuming demeanor, designer Barrett Alley could be mistaken for your run-of-the-mill hipster. But that's where the comparison ends: He doesn't want to talk about his favorite artisan beer or obscure vacation destinations. He doesn't own a television. Ask him to dish the dirt on his collaboration with musician John Mayer, and he stares blankly before replying, "I don't really know anything about his personal life." In brief, he's long on authenticity and short on small talk. Luckily, his highly collectible belts, wallets, bracelets and accessories speak for themselves. All are made in Alley's Highland Park studio from materials including vegetable-tanned cowhide, bark-dyed deerskin, 19thcentury French fabrics, waxed linen thread from Ireland, Civil War-era bone buttons, vintage African trade beads and Japanese indigo cottons from the Edo and Meiji periods. He cuts each piece of hide, then sews by hand using a traditional saddle stitch, a method favored by leather workers and saddle makers for centuries due to its strength and durability. And Alley's online fans are more than willing to cool their heels up to three weeks for their order to be delivered; the artfully packaged arrivals are worth the wait. New designs can take up to a year to fine-tune, as witnessed by two recent additions. The Magic Braid Belt is made from a single strap of cowhide woven using an old conquistador trick. Alley describes his Smuggler's Belt as "… the professional's choice for carrying concealed contraband." Each piece acquires a beautiful patina with age, as evidenced by his Worn Contest, wherein he invited clients to submit photos of their Barrett Alley purchases to his Devotism blog. (The winner was a two-and-a-halfyear-old russet leather wallet, still looking as sturdy and appealing as the day it was created.) Alley's old-school sensibility and quality standards earned him inclusion in both Mayer's Born and Raised co-branded project and Levi's Made Here program, a fitting tribute for items that come with a lifetime guarantee. In Dallas, find the collection — priced $55 to $395 — at The Nasher Store at the Nasher Sculpture Center or at barrettalley.com. YOU COINED THE PHRASE "THE HEIRLOOM MOVEMENT." CAN YOU EXPLAIN? The Heirloom Movement is simply the pendulum swinging back from its current extreme: our culture of buying stuff and throwing it away a month later when it falls apart. Or, as I call it, "landfill apparel." YOU WORK IN SILENCE — NO MUSIC, NO TELEVISION, NO NOTHING. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS? I ask the exact same question when I see someone "working" with the television or music on. WHO'S BUYING BARRETT ALLEY? My customers come from around the world. They're either men buying nice things for themselves, or women buying nice things for their men. YOU'RE A UT GRADUATE, BUT GREW UP IN DALLAS. WHAT BROUGHT YOU BACK TO TOWN? Cheap rent. A WALLET WAS THE FIRST THING YOU TRIED TO MAKE. HOW MANY ATTEMPTS BEFORE YOU WERE SATISFIED? I'm never satisfied — I think each product I make could be better. Barrett Alley at work Disciple wallets The Daijobu bracelet after about a year and a half of daily wear Bark-tanned deerskin The Citizen's Arrest belt after about 12 months of wear Cutting leather by hand The Smuggler's belt YOU WENT TO A LOT OF TROUBLE TO FIND SOMEONE WHO COULD FORGE IRON BUCKLES AND SAND-CAST BRASS BY HAND. WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Because 100 percent of belts sold today use massproduced buckles that are all identical. That's just not my thing. YOUR WORKSHOP IS RATHER MONASTIC. HAVE YOU ALWAYS ESPOUSED THE SIMPLE LIFE? I keep meaning to decorate the studio more; I just never have time. WE LOVE YOUR WORN CONTEST. WHAT PROMPTED IT? The Worn Contest lets customers open their own life journal a little bit and show how the vegetable-tanned Hand-picked mulberries used to dye leather leather and naturally dyed textiles used in the products change over time. NOT EVERY COMPANY HAS A "CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM" MANIFESTO LIKE YOURS. You see this awareness more and more these days. Whole Foods has some good customer education in place at its stores, explaining the thought that goes into materials and why it's important. To my generation, being a conscious consumer isn't novel — it's simply the only way to do business. HOW DID YOUR COLLABORATIONS WITH JOHN MAYER AND LEVI'S COME ABOUT? John Mayer and Levi's have a similar style and aesthetic and are interested in revitalizing the lost American production tradition. Alley describes his Smuggler's Belt as "… the professional's choice for carrying concealed contraband."