One of the truly gratifying things in the biker jewelry and leather scene is when someone comes along and instantly stands out amongst the already excellent crowd. I saw Nude Leather for the first time at the achingly cool Dema Silver Complex in Shinjuku (before it moved to OIOI Mens) and I was immediately struck by the quality of the exotic leathers, strong bestial themes and the use of Beryllium copper. Beryllium copper is actually a bit of a rarity in the jewelry world, but it has a really unique colour and patina to it, not to mention the fact that it is unbelievably strong . Anyway, you will see more of that later, for now cast your eyes over the strong equine leather wallets and coin cases picked out in exotic leathers including lizard, crocodile and the particularly fine glossy kangaroo.
No machines used in the process, two layers of leather and double kangaroo lacing around the edges – in biker leather it doesn’t get much better than that.
You have to admire the detail on the inlays here – the way they subtly rise out of the relief and the flawless heavy stitching may be lost on some, but for the connoisseurs of leather work this represents real talent. But the real magic happens when the guy turns this perfection in the details to a massive project and you get something like this:
Crocodile crown stitched into cow and deer, amazing lion holder and conchos and topped off with a wallet rope made from a crocodile ridged tale. At around 210000 yen it is not something you are going to be buying every day, but this would last a lifetime or two.
Some more wallets:
Just thought I would pop in a nice simple one at the end for those who don’t want something that is guaranteed to be worth more than the money inside! On that subject, if you do fancy spending a little bit more cash then all the hardware on these can be made in Sterling silver if you so desire.
Smaller cases:
And just to finish up with, some wallet ropes and holders:
You have to appreciate that last one, that kind of consistant quality down the whole length of the tail is very hard to come by indeed.
I am going to take this opportunity to come out at as a fan of Nude Leather (no surprises there). I like how the designer Nagaya Kenji has managed to bring his own identity to otherwise quite basic biker designs and made them seem fresh and exciting again. In getting these kind of results it is not enough just to have the eye for leather cutting and colour, it is the process by which every part of the construction is handled by the same person that unites the vision and makes it remarkable. If you get the chance to see this in person you will see what I mean, and until then I will have to save up and become a walking ambassador for the brand!
You can buy online from abroad here and I wish you the best of luck against the exchange rate…
