La Rue Custom Leather

26/12/2024

31/12/2023

26/12/2023

Last one completed for Christmas: classic cowboy vibes on this custom belt (to go with the absolutely bonkers vintage buckle the client provided). Stamped and buckstitched by hand, by me. Acrylic antiquing from to really make the pattern pop. 🎄🤠

07/11/2023

Just finished: A one-of-one custom zipper case for a ceremonial eagle feather.

This one is really special to me. I made it for my uncle Don Asp, who leads workshops and healing ceremonies for First Nations men throughout Canada.

100% handcrafted, it features a carved & tooled eagle on one side and a feather on the other. There’s a detachable shoulder strap in braided moosehide, and inside there is a small pocket for matches with a buffalo-horn toggle. The feather is held in place with a hidden magnetic snap, and by request I added his initials along with his birth year (in stylized formline shapes).

Moose, steerhide, even the thread are all from the stash I inherited when my dad passed away—some of the last materials left from his shop. I thought there’s no more fitting use for them than this project.

Swipe thru ➡️➡️ for details, and in the last pic you can see Uncle Don on the right together with his brothers (my dad’s in the middle).

Mēduh, Unc! I hope it serves you well. 🙏🧡🪶

05/05/2022

Hey, everyone. I haven’t done one of these in a while, so I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself.

My name is Eldon Asp, and I am the maker behind La Rue Custom Leather. I first learned leathercraft as a child in my dad’s saddle shop in northern British Columbia. When I moved to Los Angeles for college, I picked up the tools again, first as a hobby and then as a business creating custom pieces for friends, costume designers, fashion boutiques and a few celebrities. Now I’m back in BC and producing wallets, belts, key holders and other functional goods along with custom creations and occasional art pieces.

My work is heavily influenced by the hardwearing horse tack I grew up seeing my dad make and use, translated into functional goods for everyday urban utility. In my designs, I aim for a balance of rugged and refined, to bring a bit of the spirit of the ranch to the street. I make everything by hand using traditional tools and techniques, and the finest vegtanned leathers sustainably produced by North America’s oldest tanneries.

I haven’t been as active around here as I’d like to be, but I hope to get back the bench a lot more in the coming weeks. I have some new projects in the pipeline, and I will for sure be using my skills again to make what positive impact I can for some important causes, indigenous and otherwise.

Thanks to everyone who’s joined me on this journey so far, and I’d like to extend a special thank you to the fellow makers who have been so generous with their time, knowledge and support—not just for me, but more importantly for folks in need all around the world.

16/03/2022

Last post on my raffle of the за мир! (“For Peace!”) flask for humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Congratulations again to the winner, !

Swipe thru ➡️➡️ for donation details. I made the final donation of $380 CAD to the Canadian Red Cross Ukrainian Relief appeal immediately after Trudeau announced a new round of matching funds, so the total donated should be $760, with more than 95% going to direct relief in Ukraine!

Thank you to all who bought tickets, and to .goods, and for spearheading this effort. If you didn’t win, or if you would like to help and missed your chance with this raffle, PLEASE head over to ’s page for more info on the many efforts still underway.

Together the worldwide leathercraft community has raised over $60,000 to help those affected by the war in Ukraine, with more still to come!

🙏💙💛THANK YOU!💙💛🙏

04/03/2022

🇺🇦CHARITY RAFFLE UPDATE🇺🇦

Wow!! We’re at $315 raised so far for humanitarian relief in Ukraine, with a couple more days to go! I will be drawing the winner of this one-of-a-kind custom leather-wrapped Peace flask on Sunday evening, so if you’d like a chance to win—and to help a very good cause in the process—read on for full info on how to enter.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!💙💛
—————————————————

💙💛🇺🇦CHARITY RAFFLE FOR UKRAINE!🇺🇦💙💛

ЗА МИР! (“Za Myr!”) For Peace! 🍻☮️✌️

Here is my contribution to the worldwide leathercraft community’s campaign to raise funds for humanitarian relief in Ukraine. It’s a 6-oz. Stainless Steel Flask adorned in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and a timeless toast to peace. I worked with a wonderful translator in Ukraine just to make sure I had the phrasing right, and her words were powerful:

“Honestly, you don’t even realize what you do, how important it is for us, and how thankful we are to everyone for help! Without international help, it would be much more difficult for us.”

Huge thanks to .goods, and for getting this train on the tracks, and to the literally hundreds of brilliant crafters around the world who are donating their time and talent to help in any way they can. 🙏💙💛

TO ENTER: Raffle tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10.

Send funds via PayPal (“Friends and Family,” please) to [email protected]. (Be sure to include “Ukraine Raffle” and your Instagram handle.)

If you’re in Canada, you can send an Interac e-transfer to the same address: [email protected] (Include the same info: “Ukraine Raffle” and your IG handle.)

The raffle will run through the rest of this week. I will cover the cost of shipping anywhere in the world. 🚀🌏

100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross or other accredited non-profits supporting the people of Ukraine! Please give generously, and be sure to check out the hashtags and to see the other amazing items up for grabs.

THANK YOU & GOOD LUCK!!

#МИР #шкіра

01/03/2022

💙💛🇺🇦CHARITY RAFFLE FOR UKRAINE!🇺🇦💙💛

ЗА МИР! For Peace! 🍻☮️✌️

Here is my contribution to the worldwide leathercraft community’s campaign to raise funds for humanitarian relief in Ukraine. It’s a 6-oz. Stainless Steel Flask adorned in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and a timeless toast to peace. I worked with a wonderful translator in Ukraine just to make sure I had the phrasing right, and her words were powerful:

“Honestly, you don’t even realize what you do, how important it is for us, and how thankful we are to everyone for help! Without international help, it would be much more difficult for us.”

Huge thanks to .goods and for getting this train on the tracks, and to the literally hundreds of brilliant crafters around the world who are donating their time and talent to help in any way they can. 🙏💙💛

TO ENTER: Raffle tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10.

Send funds via PayPal (“Friends and Family,” please) to [email protected]. (Be sure to include “Ukraine Raffle” and your Instagram handle.)

If you’re in Canada, you can send an Interac e-transfer to the same address: [email protected] (Include the same info: “Ukraine Raffle” and your IG handle.)

The raffle will run through the rest of this week. I will cover the cost of shipping anywhere in the world. 🚀🌏

100!percent of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross or other accredited non-profits supporting the people of Ukraine! Please give generously, and be sure to check out the hashtags and to see the other amazing items up for grabs.

THANK YOU & GOOD LUCK!!

#МИР #шкіра

02/06/2021

PLEASE READ! 👇

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who’s ordered a 215 keyfob so far! If you want your own, send $15 via e-transfer or PayPal to [email protected]. (NOTE: If paying with PayPal, please select “Sending to a Friend” from the drop-down menu so they don’t charge fees!) And be sure to include your address.

I’m donating all materials, labor and postage costs. 100% of your purchase price will go to support the important work of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society!

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY.
🙏🧡

#215

01/06/2021

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ AND HELP!

Like many of you, I was heartbroken to learn of the mass grave of 215 Indigenous children, some as young as 3 years old, discovered at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in my native province of British Columbia. This is not an isolated incident. Canada and the Catholic church must reckon with their legacy of racism and abuse. The victims of this atrocity must be properly recognized, and the survivors meaningfully supported.

It’s so easy to feel powerless in the face of an evil this overwhelming. I have felt the effects of this horror in my own family, and that trauma continues to this day. I don’t know what I can do, but I have to do something. I have some skill at leather craft, so that’s where I’ll start...

Please consider purchasing one of these memorial key fobs. The price is $15 and includes postage anywhere in Canada or the US. (International friends, please DM me and we’ll get you sorted.) I will contribute all labor and materials, and all proceeds will be donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society to help them continue their work of awareness and healing.

PayPal $15 (“Friend/Family,” please) or E-transfer to [email protected]. I will send you your key fob just as soon as I can make it.

Thanks and love,

Eldon 🙏🧡