I’m Elmer, the maker behind Tres Manos Leather. I’m originally from Sacramento, California, and moved to Brisbane to do a PhD in animal science at The University of Queensland. I’ve just finished the PhD and am now looking for work, but leathercraft has become something I plan to keep doing as a passion project alongside whatever comes next.
I got into leatherworking almost by accident. An old designer wallet of mine started falling apart, so I went down the rabbit hole of researching what to replace it with. That was how I first came across handmade wallets and started learning about good leather, saddle stitching, and the difference that careful construction can make. Eventually I decided to buy some basic tools and try making one myself.
I’m entirely self-taught, and from there it grew pretty quickly. I had a knack for it, kept making things, and before long had more wallets than I knew what to do with. I started designing my own templates, improving the construction, getting the stitching cleaner and more consistent, learning how to finish edges to a high gloss, and figuring out how to photograph the work properly.
Those details matter to me because they’re what make a simple object feel considered, hold together well, and become nicer to use over time.
Everything I sell is still made by me in Brisbane. I work with vegetable-tanned leather from Italy and Japan, as well as kangaroo leather from Packer Leather here in Queensland, and I tend to favour materials that develop character rather than staying perfectly uniform.
That eventually led to commissions, online sales, and entering pieces in competitions, including the Ekka and Melbourne Royal, where some of my work has placed.
Tres Manos is still small and personal. I design the pieces, make them, photograph them, pack the orders, and usually speak directly with the person who ends up carrying one. That part of it is probably what I enjoy most! Thanks for reading!
