Emil Erwin

What products are listed for this advertiser?

Made in the USA Belts, American Made Crossbody Bags, Made in America Eyeglass Cases, Made in America Fine Leather Handbags, American Made Leather Braces, Made in the USA Leather Briefcases, Made in the USA Leather Wallets, American Made Luggage, Made in America Luggage Tags, Made in the USA Shoulder Bags, and American Made Totes.

Emil Erwin is a leather and canvas carrygoods company in Nashville, Tennessee, owned and operated by Emil and Leslie Congdon. The business is named for its chief designer and craftsman and in honor of the small Appalachian town where he learned to love the art of his trade.

It was while growing up in Erwin, a mountain town in upper east Tennessee, that Emil Congdon developed his admiration for quality leatherwork during visits to Baker Shoe & Saddle Repair. Emil was intrigued by the skill that went into the handwork and inspired by the care that was necessary to tame the massive hides into usable products. When he was in college, he taught himself to sew, mending holes in his pants and eventually figuring out construction. Later, Emil honed his work during apprenticeships with high-end auto upholstery businesses and critical trial and error in his home studio in Nashville.

Making and selling leather bags at craft show was a hobby for Emil until 2009, when Leslie, a native of Nashville, convinced him that together they could make his pastime into a family business. Emil locked himself in the 267-square-foot detached garage in the couple's backyard and got to work. His efforts quickly paid off. Later that year, Imogene + Willie caught wind of the talented young Southern leatherworker who was turning out exquisitely detailed, long-wearing bags. The two teams worked together on a collaboration for J.Crew that quickly sold out. In 2010, Garden & Gun magazine awarded Emil Erwin the top prize in the style division of its esteemed Made in the South awards. Other press came calling, and orders started flooding in.

In early 2012, Emil Erwin headquarters moved from the Congdon's backyard to its current home, a 1,300-square-foot workshop in Marathon Village. There, Emil supervises the design studio, acting as chief designer and craftsman, while Leslie works on product development and provides design direction, in particular injecting a feminine point of view into the collection. The result is a balanced stable of elegant, expertly constructed bags, belts, wallets and other small accessories that have earned Emil Erwin a robust international fan club.

All Emil Erwin products are made from leather sourced at Chicago's Horween Leather Company and waxed canvas from New Jersey's Fairfield Textiles. The entire Emil Erwin collection is patterned, cut, sewn and assembled in the company's Nashville design studio, where a devotion to quality, function and impeccable attention to detail defines the company's product.

As a company, Emil Erwin believes in quality without compromise, using the best materials, tools, and techniques to make a superior product. This devotion to craft results in a product rare in today's market, one that is not only beautiful, but will also stand the test of time. As such, each Emil Erwin product is guaranteed for life.

Emil Erwin products are available on the company website and in the design studio in Nashville.


The following is a reply from Emil Erwin to our question – "Are your products Made in America?"

How do you know the products you have listed are Made in the USA?
Before including products in our database we review the advertiser’s website and/or contact them to ascertain the origin of their products. Some advertisers sell both Made in USA products and foreign ones. Therefore we highly recommend you review FAQ 2.

We immediately investigate any complaints regarding deceptive Country of Origin claims. If we determine an advertiser's claim is not truthful we will immediately remove the product/s from our database and suspend our relationship with the Company making the claim.

To document your complaint, email us by using our Contact Us page. We can only respond to complaints that have been submitted in writing.

What does Made in USA mean?
There is no law requiring most products to be labeled Made In USA, or have any other disclosure about the amount of U.S. content. However, for job creation purposes (see our Big Secret tab), if you have a choice between an imported product and one with no country of origin on its label, choose the product without a country of origin over the imported one. This is true because the product without the country origin on its label has at least some American labor in its content and the imported one most likely does not.

Note: Imported products are required by law to country of origin on their label and products partially Made In USA do not. To answer this question completely reviewing our Labeling Tips 1, 2 & 3. These tips are accessible from scrolling to the bottom of our home page clicking Browse All Tips button.