Rustico Blog — The Backstory Series

Our High Line pouches have been fan-favorites for years; the durability and versatility make them easy to love. As we launch the fourth size in the High Line series, we decided it was time to speak with our director of product development, Matt Shurtleff, to get the backstory.   What was the motivation for creating the High Line series? We were working on a similar product for a custom order and we had never done zippers before. I was interested in figuring out how to sew zippers into leather so I made a prototype and we decided we should make...

The most functional wallet in the Rustico lineup is the Money Clip Leather Wallet. Isaac Childs, the founder of Rustico, was deeply involved with the design of it and now he tells its story from concept to finished product.     What was the motivation for this specific product? We came up with this back in 2003 when small thin wallets were not really in existence and only large bifold and trifold wallets were the thing. Fossil brand was the hot ticket item at a Nordstrom's in the mall if you wanted a leather wallet. You had that option or you...

Inspired by the stagecoach journeys and Pony Express Riders of the Old West, the Messenger Leather Journal takes on some timeless characteristics. Read the history, as told by Matt Shurtleff, of what started as a custom project and turned into a popular Rustico design loved by many. This is a story about the original version of the Messenger Journal, a former project that evolved into one of Rustico’s best-sellers.   What’s the story behind the creation of this product? This was designed to be a representation of how the Pony Express delivered letters and telegraphs. The Pony Express delivered mail out...

Our Lead Product Designer, Joshua Perez, sat down to talk with us about one of the first products he helped design when he started at Rustico. Read about the process behind building the first Rustico apron. What was the motivation for creating this specific product? This was one of the first products that I worked on and helped design upon starting at Rustico. The inspiration for it came from our CEO Isaac. He wanted to create an apron that was rugged and could withstand any hard work. You can do carpentry, gardening, barbering, and smithing of any kind; basically, any...