Craftsman and artist Brennan Byers has been working with leather since 1968. Interest in leather work was sparked by oldest brother, Pat during the Viet Nam/Hippie era. Brennan grew up in a small (1 mile square) Ohio town, population 3000. He discovered there was a trade publication for leather workers featuring a column, Tricks of the Trade. After attending The Cleveland Institute of Art and moving to L.A., Byers met the author of his favorite column, Tricks of the Trade, author/western artist Al Shelton. Now in his nineties, Al is still a close friend and works daily in his own shop. Now, four decades later Shelton says of Brennan’s work, as he has in print, “He does masterpieces.”

The top studio Props and Wardrobe departments regularly call upon his gbb Leather for anything and everything, leather. One of Disney’s 7 feet-tall “Country Bears” needed a Size-70 leather vest, with a hand carved poster on the back. The hot, dancing bartender-babes, in Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Coyote Ugly”, wore Byers’ hand-crafted rhinestone-studded belts, and distressed boots, a technique Byers developed, to maintain the integrity of the leather, while making the boots look like you’d “worn them every day for a year.” The British Royal Navy required pristine white leather-straps and duffels, as well as navy blue leather belts, with gold brocade and shiny brass fittings, to look their best dealing with Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush, and their motley crew of pirates, in Pirates of the Caribbean. Every pirate in the picture sported a baldrick, scabbard, bandoleer, money-pouch, bottle, box or accessory, custom crafted by Brennan.

Byers surprised Johnny Depp by recreating a cherished wristband worn by the actor in “Platoon.” Depp mentioned during shooting, that he had worn the band for many years, until it perished. The purveyor of a well-known French champagne approached Byers with some antique luggage hardware, purchased from a Brussels street vendor. Byers designed and created a luxurious leather valise, fully lined with bengaline satin. Somewhere out there is a select few that purchased a “Mission” bag from Nordstrom, about ten years ago. The limited edition over-sized purses featured, in addition to Byers’ leatherwork, hand painted panels of the California Missions, tapestry, and sterling silver hardware; truly collectible art.

One of Brennan’s favorite pieces is everybodys favorite, a handmade leather piggy bank, Every detail of the pig must be done by hand, so if you were able to get one at Billy Martins’ New York, or from the artist himself, you have a true original, representing a pure example of Brennan Byers’ art.