Lagarto & The Luxury of Time

When you treat yourself to a luxurious gift, do you ever stop and think about what makes it so special? Did you see it in Vogue or GQ and therefore consider it’s creation an opulent must-have? Lagarto, an exotic leather boutique, define luxury by time. The process it takes to create something rare, unique, and one-of-a-kind is the gift of patient craftsmanship.

We find ourselves in a time where the value of the products that we purchase is defined by which celebrities are endorsing the brand. There’s no time to research substantive quality as a consumer; we want to feel extravagant by association. In Lagarto’s case however, they retrieve to the basics and remind us all what truly makes a product luxurious.

Beginning as a search to create a simple leather cardholder, a Canadian duo by the names of Jack and Nicholas discovered a unique gap in the leather wallet industry. Unable to differentiate their product from other mainstream leather brands, the team quickly discovered that finely crafted wallets made from exotic leathers were difficult to come by. They began to breakdown the process of creating a wallet and slowly swapped out the machine-made procedures for a hand-crafted touch.

Through their extensive research, the team began to understand that within the luxury product market only 1% included exotic leathers. Within that statistic, other classifications pointed out the rarity of fine textured leather with a distinct patterning. Cue the epiphanic discovery of reptile skins. With a clear understanding of the material that would quickly become the signature of Lagarto, the team journeyed to Asia and Europe to secure the prime tanneries that would guarantee an exquisite finish and look of their leather.

However, simply creating an exotic leather wallet wasn’t enough for the Lagarto team. To create an even more luxurious product, the wallets were envisioned to have a dazzling metal finish with a glamorous look. The Diamond Edition Jubilee is proof positive. These ‘Gemini’ pins would complete the classic Lagarto look with the emboldened ‘L’ logo proudly featured.

Aside from the luxurious materials, the process of one wallet can take up to a month of production. This is where the gift of time is placed. Through its three mastered phases, each piece is developed in its own time and slowly put together to create the final look. The three phases of handcrafting the raw leather, the making of the ‘Gemini’ corners and the joining of the pieces can all be seen in this beautifully produced series of videos.

Each completed Lagarto piece celebrates the idea that grand and sacred things in life are never rushed.

In 2019, the brand is expanding their leather selection to include exotic ‘Cronus’ crocodile and ‘Oscar’ ostrich collections. The brand will also shift to include elegant warm tones of brown within each of these additional textures. As the brand continues to grow we can expect that their process will only get better thus producing even more exquisite pieces to come.