Where is Thistle made?

Every piece of Thistle is designed and made in British Columbia, Canada. The quality of our product is very important to us, which is why we choose to manufacture everything in-house. Every pattern has been designed, tested and produced by us.

  • Why Leather

    Did you know that 99% of cowhide leather (the same leathers we use) are a byproduct of the meat industry?

    We believe in making statement pieces that will be worn and appreciated for many years and we also believe that you respect an animal by using it in its entirety. For those reasons we will always use real cowhide leather.

  • Do You Tool The Leather

    No, most of the leather we use is embossed; which means it arrives to us already dyed and embossed with the beautiful designs. We work with tanneries to source our leathers and hand-select each hide. Hand tooled leather is a separate art form and is distinctive with its thick hide and hand carved designs. We occasionally collaborate with other artists who specialize in hand tooling and we look forward to bringing you those pieces.

  • Do You Ever Use Vegan Leather

    No, "vegan leather" is the same vinyl, pleather or faux leather from the past but with a fantastic marketing team. It is primarily made from synthetic plastics like polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that don't last the same as real leather does and are not biodegradable. Although there are some "eco alternatives" that include pineapple, cactus or mushroom plant fibres, the majority of those "vegan leathers" are still made from petroleum products.

What if I want

Custom Work

We aren't saying no...but its's rare for us to have the time anymore to include custom work. If you are looking for one of our current products in a colour that you no longer see available on the webstite, then certainly contact us and if we still have the leather in stock we may be able to accommodate your request and add the product into our next manufacturing cycle.

As for fully custom products, like the idea you have in your head or a remake of your favourite worn-out bag? We have very few slots open in the year for those but we are always happy to refer you to someone else in the leather realm who hopefully can make what you are looking for.

Check out some of our past work