What the Young Guns Behind Leather Brand Moore & Giles Can't Live Without

You might not know it but, chances are pretty good you've spent some time sitting on Moore & Giles leather. The southern kings of leather began their business in 1933 smack dab in the heart of the great depression. That was the year their founder lost his job at a shoe factory in Lynchburg, VA. Out of necessity he started selling anything he could get his hands on from leather to shoe strings to glue back to that same factory. And over time that business grew. Domestically, at the time, more footwear was being produced in Virginia than anywhere in the country. But when the industry moved oversees, Moore & Giles shifted their focus to the furniture industry. The company made a name for themselves by developing a type of fine leather inspired by a perfectly worn-in leather handbag. Major retailers like Starbucks, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware source leather for their in-store furniture and products exclusively from Moore & Giles. Ninety percent of their business is in leather for furniture and high-end interior design (houses, cars, yachts, and private jets). But about eight years ago the M&G team, tired of carrying boring black luggage when traveling to visit their tanneries, made bags for themselves out of their own leather.

Today that's become its own business. Using the same leather that originally made them famous, they now produce an impressive collection of luxury leather goods—tote bags, luggage, watch bands, wallets, belts and this year a very baller set of horseshoes. Moore & Giles will have a booth at this year's Pop-Up-Flea in NYC so everyone can feel first-hand what makes their bags so special—hint, it's very, very smooth and will last forever. They've also begun a bespoke luggage and accessories program in 10 menswear stores across the country. Here, Moore & Giles Designer, Thomas Brennan, shares the 10 things he and Vice President Elizabeth Stroud collectively find essential to their daily lives and busy travel schedules at the 82-year-old Virginia-based leather company.

Article was printed in GQ and written by Liza Corsillo