Field Notes · Buyer's Guide

Founder-Led Leather and Outerwear Brands Worth Buying From

By Xan Hood, FounderBuffalo Jackson Trading Co.Updated October 2026

The short answer

These seven leather and outerwear brands are still run by their founder or the family that built them:

Saddleback Leather, best for heavy leather bags you will leave to your kids
Overland Sheepskin Co., best for shearling coats
Schott NYC, best for the classic motorcycle jacket
Red Wing, best for leather work and heritage boots
Pendleton, best for wool shirts and blankets
Frost River, best for American-made waxed canvas packs
Buffalo Jackson, best for rugged leather jackets, shearling and buffalo leather bags under $600

Full disclosure. Buffalo Jackson is my company, and it is on this list. I have tried to treat every brand here the same way: what they make, who runs them, where it is made, what it costs, and what is worth knowing before you buy. Every other brand on this list is one I respect, and none of them paid to be here.

Most leather and outerwear "best of" lists rank products. This one ranks something harder to see on a product page: who is behind the brand.

Many of the old heritage names, Filson, Woolrich, Belstaff and Frye among them, are now owned by investment firms or brand-licensing groups, some after being sold many times over. I wrote about that in Who Owns Your Heritage Brand? This is the other side of it: the brands where the founder, or the founding family, is still the one making the calls.

That does not guarantee every product is perfect. It does mean somebody with their name on the line is still answering for it.

How these brands were chosen

Still founder-led or family-owned, confirmed through the company itself or reputable reporting, as of October 2026.
Real materials. Full-grain leather, real shearling, real wool, waxed cotton. No bonded leather, no plastic dressed up as leather.
Honest about where things are made. Made in the USA is not the test. Being straight about it is.
Makes leather goods or outerwear a man would actually wear or carry for years.

At a glance

Prices are examples taken from each brand's own site or published guides and change often. Check the brand for current pricing and warranty terms.
Brand	Best for	Who runs it	Where it is made	Example price	Warranty
Saddleback Leather	Heavy leather bags	Dave Munson, founder	Workshops in León, Mexico	Briefcases $529 to $679	100 years, transferable
Overland Sheepskin	Shearling coats	Leahy family	Contract workshops abroad (for example, Poland)	Jackson shearling coat $799	Satisfaction guarantee
Schott NYC	Motorcycle jackets	Schott family, 4th generation	Own factory, Union, New Jersey	Perfecto around $1,000	Check with Schott
Red Wing	Leather boots	Sweasy family, 4th generation	U.S. factories; own tannery in Red Wing, Minnesota	Varies by boot	Check with Red Wing
Pendleton	Wool shirts, blankets	Bishop family, 6th generation	Own mills in Oregon and Washington	Varies	Check with Pendleton
Frost River	Waxed canvas bags	Chris Benson, owner since 2009	Duluth, Minnesota	Briefcase $250, luggage $375	Lifetime, defects
Buffalo Jackson	Leather jackets, shearling, buffalo leather bags	Xan Hood, founder	Designed in North Carolina; handcrafted by artisans in Mexico, India, Turkey and the USA	Bridger jacket $534.95, Roosevelt duffle $349.95	Repair or replace

The brands

1. Saddleback Leather

Best for heirloom bags

Dave Munson started Saddleback by selling bags out of his vehicle, and he still runs it as founder and CEO from Texas. The bags are built from thick full-grain leather, about a quarter inch, with very few seams and hardware meant to outlast the owner. Munson has said he will not take venture capital, and the company sells only through its own site and eBay.

The warranty is the headline: 100 years, and it transfers to whoever inherits the bag. Few companies anywhere put a promise like that in writing.

FoundedEarly 2000s
Runs itDave Munson, founder and CEO
Made inWorkshops in León, Mexico
Worth knowingThe bags are heavy and the look is distinctive. If you want something light and minimal, this is not it.
Websitesaddlebackleather.com

2. Overland Sheepskin Co.

Best for shearling coats

Jim and Leslie Leahy started Overland in Taos, New Mexico, in 1973 with a bale of sheepskins and a secondhand sewing machine. More than fifty years on it is still family-owned, led by Roger Leahy, with around two dozen stores, most of them in Western mountain towns. If you want to walk into a store and try on a dozen shearling coats, this is the place.

Overland is open about its sourcing on product pages. Its Jackson coat, for example, is made in Poland from Spanish shearling.

Founded1973, Taos, New Mexico
Runs itLeahy family
Made inContract workshops abroad, varies by style
Worth knowingPremium pricing, and the range is wide, so read each product page for the skin and the country of origin.
Websiteoverland.com

3. Schott NYC

Best motorcycle jacket

Irving and Jack Schott founded the company in 1913, and Irving designed the first leather motorcycle jacket, the Perfecto, in 1928. The family is now in its fourth generation running the business, and the Perfecto is still made in its own factory in Union, New Jersey. If you want the original, this is it.

Founded1913, New York
Runs itSchott family, 4th generation
Made inUnion, New Jersey (Perfecto)
Worth knowingThe heavy steerhide takes real breaking in, and at around $1,000 one respected reviewer, Gentleman's Gazette, judged the quality good rather than exceptional for the price.
Websiteschottnyc.com

4. Red Wing

Best leather boots

Red Wing was founded in Red Wing, Minnesota, in 1905 and has been run by the same family for four generations, from J.R. Sweasy to Allison Gettings today. It is one of the few footwear companies that owns its own tannery, S.B. Foot, which has been making leather in Red Wing since 1872, and it still operates U.S. factories.

Founded1905, Red Wing, Minnesota
Runs itSweasy family, 4th generation
Made inU.S. factories; own tannery
Worth knowingRed Wing sells both work boots and its Heritage line. Check which one you are buying, and expect a break-in period.
Websiteredwingheritage.com

5. Pendleton Woolen Mills

Best wool shirts and blankets

Pendleton is a sixth-generation family business that traces back to Thomas Kay's Oregon wool operation of 1863. It still weaves in its own mills in Pendleton, Oregon, and Washougal, Washington, which very few apparel companies can say. The Board Shirt and the blankets are the icons.

Founded1863 roots; Pendleton mill built 1909
Runs itBishop family, 6th generation; John Bishop, chairman
Made inOwn mills in Oregon and Washington
Worth knowingWool needs care. Read the label before it goes anywhere near a hot dryer.
Websitependleton-usa.com

6. Frost River

Best American-made waxed canvas

Frost River's waxed canvas and bridle leather packs nearly disappeared when the original business closed in 2008. Chris Benson bought the equipment, rehired the makers and reopened in 2009, and the bags are still sewn on-site in Duluth, Minnesota. Prices are fair for American-made goods, and the lifetime guarantee covers defects for as long as you own the bag, with repairs offered for accidents and wear.

Founded2001; owned by Chris Benson since 2009
Runs itChris Benson
Made inDuluth, Minnesota
Worth knowingThe style is classic canoe-country. Waxed canvas is heavier than nylon and needs re-waxing now and then.
Websitefrostriver.com

7. Buffalo Jackson Trading Co.

Best rugged leather under $600

I started Buffalo Jackson in 2009 and still run it with a small team in Matthews, North Carolina. We design every style here and choose the leather, and our goods are handcrafted by artisans around the world: cut and sewn in León, Mexico and India, with shearling tanned in Turkey and leather belts being made in the USA. I inspect the shearling, select the styles, sign off on every sample, go over shipments in the warehouse and go to the photo shoots. The Bridger leather down jacket, the shearling bombers and the Roosevelt buffalo leather bags are what we are best known for.

A rancher looks after his horses, his cattle and his land because that is his livelihood, and he will be on the same ground next year. That is how I think about this business.

Founded2009, Colorado
Runs itXan Hood, founder
Made inDesigned in North Carolina; handcrafted by artisans in Mexico, India, Turkey and the USA
Worth knowingEvery style is designed and sampled in North Carolina, and the founder signs off on every sample himself.
Websitebuffalojackson.com

Roosevelt buffalo leather duffle bag in dark oak

Where is Buffalo Jackson made?

The workshops, the hides and the people behind every piece, in plain terms.

Read the full story

Why founder-led matters when you buy

When a brand is sold to an investment firm, the new owner usually plans to sell it again within a few years at a higher price. That puts pressure on growth and cost, and the people who held the original standard often leave. Some brands come through it fine. Many do not, and the customer is usually the last to notice.

A founder or a founding family has a longer horizon. They expect to be answering for the product in ten or twenty years, and their name is on it. That is not a guarantee of quality, but it points the incentives the right way.

How to tell if a brand is still founder-led

Look for a living person on the About page. Founder-led brands name their founder. A vague "our heritage" with nobody attached is worth a second look.
Check the footer and press page for "a portfolio company of" or "a brand of".
Search the brand name with "acquired". Sales are almost always reported.
Ask who signs off on the product. The good brands will tell you. The best will give you a name.

Common questions

Which leather brands are still founder-owned?

As of October 2026, leather and outerwear brands still run by their founder or founding family include Saddleback Leather (Dave Munson), Overland Sheepskin Co. (the Leahy family), Schott NYC (the Schott family), Red Wing (the Sweasy family), Pendleton (the Bishop family), Frost River (owner Chris Benson) and Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. (Xan Hood).

What is a good alternative to Filson?

If you want waxed canvas and leather bags from a company still run by its owner, Frost River makes them in Duluth, Minnesota, and Saddleback and Buffalo Jackson make heavy leather bags under founder ownership. Filson itself has been owned by investment firms since 2005.

Who makes the best shearling coat?

It depends on style and budget. Overland Sheepskin Co. has the widest range of shearling coats and stores where you can try them on. Buffalo Jackson makes shearling bombers and coats from sheepskin tanned in Turkey at lower prices. In either case, check the skin, the density of the wool, and where it was made.

Which leather bag brand has the best warranty?

Saddleback Leather offers a 100-year warranty that transfers to whoever inherits the bag. Frost River offers a lifetime guarantee against defects for as long as you own the bag. Check each brand's current terms before you buy.

Is Schott NYC still made in the USA?

Yes, the Perfecto motorcycle jacket is still made in Schott's own factory in Union, New Jersey, and the company is run by the fourth generation of the Schott family.

Is Red Wing still family-owned?

Yes. Red Wing has been family-owned and operated for four generations, from founder J.R. Sweasy to Allison Gettings, and it owns its own tannery, S.B. Foot, in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Is Buffalo Jackson founder-owned?

Yes. Xan Hood founded Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. in 2009 and still runs it with a small team in Matthews, North Carolina. He selects the styles, chooses the leather, inspects the shearling and signs off on every sample. The goods are handcrafted by artisans around the world: cut and sewn in León, Mexico and India, with shearling tanned in Turkey and leather belts being made in the USA.

Does founder-owned mean better quality?

Not automatically. But a founder or founding family usually has a longer horizon and their name on the product, which tends to keep standards steadier than ownership that changes every few years.

Sources

Xan Hood founded Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. in 2009 and still runs it from Matthews, North Carolina. He works directly with leather artisans in Mexico, India, Turkey and the USA on bags, outerwear and sporting goods, and writes about how the things we carry are actually made.