HANDMADE LEATHER BELTS, MADE BY MONGOOSE MOON

Our handmade leather belts are made using the finest British leather from the only remaining oak bark tannery in Britain. Belts that you will cherish for a lifetime. These sturdy leather belts stand out from the crowd in their strength and durability. The thickness of the leather is great to the touch and the natural smell of this leather is amazing. Each belt is custom made to suit your own special requirements.

Mongoose Moon has just introduced FREE SHIPPING on all our products to help make the process easier for our customers throughtout the world.

HOW A HANDMADE BELT IS MADE: The leather is cut to fit each individual buckle style. An old plough, bought from a retiring 85 year old leather worker, is used to cut the leather straps. This tool is kept very sharp in order to cut the heavy duty Bakers leather. The leather strap sizes are 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), 1.62 inches (4.1 cm), 1.75 inches (4.5 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) in width. All the edges are bevelled, sanded, burnished and coated until the leather feels smooth to the touch. The leather is sealed and protected from moisture.

WIDTH OF BELT REQUIRED: Please check the loops on your trousers will take the width of the belt plus 3 thicknesses of the leather. The leather I use varies in thickness from 4.5mm to 6.5mm. Mongoose moon has over 20 pieces of leather in stock with a variety of colours and thicknesses. Your belt will be tailor made to suit your requirements.

SELECT THE BUCKLE STYLE AND BELT WIDTH: Ensure the width of leather chosen will fit through the loops on your trousers. Please view our page on how we would like you to measure for the length of your belt.

PLACE YOUR ORDER: Once you have placed your order Charlie will contact you to confirm your exact size. You can also discuss details such as, the thickness of leather, number of holes required etc. He enjoys this personal contact with you and he will guide you through the various options he can offer. It is important that he has all the information from you that he requires.

MEASURE YOURSELF ACCURATELY: If you do not own a flexible tape measure we can send you one. Once the strap has been cut and  prepared the buckle of your choice is securely attached using glue and five solid brass rivets. Five oval holes are then evenly spaced to suit your measurement. Oval holes will not become misshapen, (round holes will become oval with use). The end of each belt is cut to an English point.

A BELT FOR EVERY OCCASION: Mongoose Moon belts suit many occasions, both casual and formal clothing styles. Handmade leather belts add a stylish touch to an outfit. Belts, like watches are a great way to express your individual sense of style. Our handmade leather belts can be found in many far-flung parts of the world. They have even been used on a Shackleton reenactment voyage in the Antartic in 2013.

OUR PACKAGING: We are proud to tell you that all our packaging has no plastic. The cardboard boxes we use are made of 75% recycled materials but still offer secure postal protection. All the materials needed for shipping are recyclable and degradable.

THE MOST EXQUISITE LEATHER: While seeking out the most exquisite leather Charlie discovered the last remaining British oak bark tannery in Colyton, Devon, J&FJ Baker Co. Ltd. This tannery supplies the finest quality leather. There has been a tannery there for over 2000 years since Roman times. The Baker family has run this business over 5 generations going back over 150 years. They create English bridle leathers that have an incredibly high tensile strength, ideal for making belts. Their leather is light in weight and becomes beautifully supple with age as it gains a unique patina.

COLOURS AND TYPE OF LEATHER: We always visit the tannery to select the leather for our handmade leather belts. Each hide has a unique quality and character. We usually stock over 20 different butts in a variety of colours and thicknesses both corrected and uncorrected leather. Corrected leather has a smooth grain as the surface has been made smooth. Uncorrected leather has the natural surface of the animals skin, scars and all. Belts made with this leather have a more worn in appearance from day one.

THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE LEATHER: The processes to tan leather have little changed over the years. For instance the local stream flows through the waterwheel that agitates the tannic liquor within the pits filled with local cattle skins. 12 months later the tanning process has naturally and slowly transformed the skins into the most fabulous quality leather. After that, the leather is stained using vegetable dyes, oils and waxes are applied to protect and feed the leather. Artisans all over the world use Bakers leather to make the finest products available. Above all, we like to work with people who value the same things we do: craft and skill, community and environment.

SLIDE SHOW: In conclusion we would like you to watch this beautiful black and white slide show to learn more about the process of tanning leather with oak bark in this wonderful old tannery in Devon. You can also follow the tannery on Facebook.