Vancouver-based Alterior features locally handmade leather goods

Alterior is a Vancouver-based brand that specializes in producing high quality handmade leather goods. The two young brothers, Cole and Dallas Chreptyk, are the same hands that produce each product with the finest materials.

The brothers just released a new video illustrating the detail they put into each product from the construction to the handmade Canadian birch wood packaging. We were excited to be able to catch up with the brothers and ask them some questions about the idea behind their brand.

Why did you guys want to start your own accessories brand?

Cole: We started working on making products about six years ago, right out of high school. We began with screen printing t-shirts and hoodies and designed a few hats; we were just making apparel for our friends and for ourselves, but then people started noticing and asking questions about it. A few months later, we made the decision to start selling the products we were making. Through this we were able to experiment with various materials, which eventually introduced us to leather, which then led us to create Alterior.

Dallas: The idea behind Alterior was to create quality products that catered to our needs and to everyday life. After playing around with leather and making several prototypes, we began to specialize in handmade leather goods focusing on high quality materials with meticulous attention to detail and design.

Where do you source your materials from?

C: When it comes to sourcing, we only use premium materials from the most reputable suppliers. Quality is very important to us so most of our materials are produced either in Canada or the US. If there is something we need that isn’t made locally, we will import it from wherever is making it best. Currently our vegetable tanned leather is from Italy, our hardware is US military grade and the thread we use for our hand-sewn products comes from Germany.

D: We also recently decided to add a hooded pullover and crewneck to our collection. These two pieces are made from fleece that is produced in Eastern Canada and are constructed here locally, in Vancouver BC. We wanted to add something else to diversify our line from being strictly accessory based.

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Any plans to expand the line further?

C: Currently Dallas and I both work full time jobs six days a week on top of Alterior. Due to the fact that it’s only the two of us making the leather products, we’re going to keep our line small and focused for the time being. We’d prefer to release fewer products and keep all the production in-house.

D: One misconception about Alterior is that we are just a leather accessories brand. Yes, right now a majority of our first collection consists of leather goods so it makes sense people would make that assumption, but we do have plans to go down other avenues as well. We want people to see us as a product line that not only makes accessories, but also clothing, home furnishing items and possibly even edible products.

C: With Alterior we don’t want people to be able to predict what each season will consist of so we plan to throw in some obscure items that will keep our audience interested. What they can always expect is that every product will be well thought out and constructed with quality methods and materials.

Do you guys have any specific jobs at the brand or do you share all the responsibilities?

C: It’s great because both Dallas and I are well rounded enough that we are pretty interchangeable for any task and we communicate so frequently that we’re always on the same page. When it comes to making decisions about product design or creative direction, we build off of each other’s ideas and work. There are times where we don’t agree with each other, but we usually find a solution that we can both stand behind.

D: When it comes to making the leather goods, we are both capable of assembling a piece from start to finish. If we need to make more than one product we usually work as a team and make them in steps, which is most efficient. There are some things within our brand that are out of our realm and we can not do ourselves. Lucky for us, we are very fortunate to have and work with such talented friends that help contribute to make Alterior what it is. We can’t thank these certain individuals enough for what they do for us.

What are you working on now?

D: Right now we are working on keeping our current collection stocked up online store and in Livestock, our brick and mortar stockist. We have also been designing some new products to add to the line that aren’t quite where we want them to be yet. However, you can expect to see some new colours being offered as well as some collaborative projects very soon.

 

Alterior products can be purchased both online and in person at the Chinatown, West 4th and Toronto Livestock locations.