Sandast: Luxury Leather Goods, Made in L.A.
Behind a glass window, trained workers can be seen polishing the edges of a leather belt using an antique machine and hand-painting precisely cut leather arrowhead shapes that will be defining details on a leather purse. Milan Franeta wanted every piece bearing his embossed Sandast label to be created by human touch. With the exception of a few trade secrets, almost the entire process of making a satchel can be witnessed through the workshop window as in an aquarium.
“Everything has to go through my hands,” said Franeta, owner of the label and the store in Los Angeles. “It’s like making jeans. You have raw jeans, stone-washed—same thing with leather except we use mostly hand [techniques to age the leather], not machines.”
The leather (all of which is sourced from tanneries across the United States) starts out as stiff slabs, and Franeta dyes the material, wears it down, softens and fades it using special methods he has developed through practice. The shiny new hardware is also treated to look aged and scuffed.
Before launching his own line, Franeta was a contractor in Vernon, Calif., making leather goods for other Los Angeles–based brands. He started experimenting with distressing leather in his spare time around 2006.
“After we closed, I was just listening to music, working with leather, developing something that was more like art. Like paint, you are playing with paint on canvas and you get so many different textures and colors. That’s exactly what I was doing with leather. Using different types of tools, natural water and techniques I learned over time—that was a long process getting that feeling that it looks old,” Franeta said.
He recently moved into the warehouse space in downtown Los Angeles with the master floor plan that customers can see how the goods are made in the atelier, personalize certain items in the store and purchase other products from other like-minded artisan brands. Nudie jeans and Red Wing boots are displayed on custom wood furniture next to Sandast’s leather and canvas luggage, glossy frame purses, and denim shoulder bags accented with leather. The store officially opens on May 17.
Though the exterior of a leather carryall is constructed using the same handcraftsmanship processes as suitcases made decades ago, Franeta designed the inside linings to be completely functional for the travel demands of today. Pockets and sleeves are sized to snugly fit a cell phone and an iPad. For more information, visit www.sandast.com.—Rhea Cortado
