Quels sont les messieurs aux commandes d'Ortu Leather ?

(Who are the men behind Ortu leather?)


Raphael

Born in Paris, France, Raphael studied at the famed Sorbonne University in the Latin Quarter neighborhood in Paris. His first brush with French haute couture was an internship at atelier Yves Saint Laurent. But his heart was calling for the American adventure and soon he bought a one way ticket to the promised land. A few years later, Raphael joined forces with Frank and his brother and set out to create the ultimate leather destination in Los Angeles.

Today, Raphael prides himself in the ever growing designers and artists community he built throughout the years, here in the heart of the Los Angeles Fashion district.
His focus at ORTU and where he finds the most pleasure is seeing creations and dreams come to life every day. From the artisan, to the designer or manufacturer, Raphael built ORTU into a creative hub where everyone shares knowledge, experience and contacts with each other for the common good.
Frank

Hailing from Paris, France, it is said that since the day he was born, Frank has been surrounded by leather.  Frank is the ultimate self-taught leather expert, he IS leather.  From the early age of fourteen, he started working with his father and grandfather at their leather factory and shops in the Marais neighborhood of Paris. Frank has done it all -- designing and adjusting patterns, cutting the hides, and selling his fabulous finished products in high-end boutiques. From leather jackets, to pants, handbags, you name it, he mastered everything it takes to make perfect leather goods to delight the consumer (with Frank's expertise and talent, his family's leather empire grew to a half dozen boutiques). While there, Frank collaborated with Rick Owens, Jean-Claude Jitrois and a host of other trendsetters.

In the 90's, hearing the call of the American siren, Frank jetted to the Los Angeles fashion district to launch Swann.  The Swann label graced the shelves of chains and retailers such as Barney's New York, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave, Henry Bendel, Fred Segal, Opening Ceremony and more, while the line was featured in Bazaar, Vogue and other fashion publications.  As a trans-Atlantic trendsetter, Frank's reputation quickly spread, and today he can hardly take a step in the DTLA Fashion District without bumping into a friend or colleague. 

Always on the cutting edge, Frank now focuses his talents on ORTU Leather, collaborating with Raphael and Daniel to create the ultimate leather contracting operation on the American west coast. Frank is a 3rd generation leather artisan and carries tremendous design skill, successful innovation and business savvy. ORTU Leather has the expertise to transform a vision into a successful product.  ORTU's skills and talents bring creativity to life by providing the perfect platform to launch designers' products into commercial success.  As Frank says, "If you have the dream and desire, I'll help you make it.  Just come prepared and be ready to work hard and let the fun begin!"

Another facet of Frank's expertise includes working with insurance and companies for special missions such as appraisals of leather inventory or leather hides quality for insurance damage claims and tax write off purposes. As a leather appraiser, Frank is able to quickly and accurately assess the market and resale value of the vast majority and types of tanned leather hides (lambskin, cowhide, goatskin, shearling, hair on, scraps, etc).

What else does Frank do? Endless hikes into the wilderness, traveling the world, including frequent visits to London, Paris, Milan, New York, Tel Aviv, Israel. 

​It's the little things...
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We understand the little ingredients that are necessary for each project to come to fruition,
and not just the manufacturing side of things. 
We carry years of business experience wholesaling and marketing a wide mix of products, while fighting for shelf space, promotion, distribution and all that good stuff!
We don't just make the product, we will have the conversations that matter with our clients because we care about the end result. Sales reps, showroom, distribution, pricing, advertising, and more: we will be happy to give you any valuable feedback, input and options we can give you along the way.
                                         


By Appointment Only.
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We'd love to take every single designer's project on the fly as they walk through the door, but that's just not humanly possible!
That's why our contracting / manufacturing / private label services are by appointment only. 

Just reach out to us. We'll first identify your needs and timeline, this info will help us set a quality time to meet so we can go over your project and vision in details and get to work on a pattern, sample or production right away.

Please Note: ideally, you should come to ORTU leather armed with:

- some form of pattern or "tech pack"
- or prototype/sample in hand (even if in fabric)
- or design spec sheet (with all measurements)
- if possible: leather swatches for us to better understand the thickness feel and finish you're shooting for.
                                                                                                                                                                                   
 Then, once the leather and hardware have been identified, we will walk you through the process of sample making, grading (in possible duplicate sizes and explain the fusing, stitching, sewing that may be necessary, not mentioning the plate mold with logo engraving, and other fun stuff) and finally, hopefully the production!
Note: Frank also like to stress that unlike fabric, leather is somewhat of a live natural product, every skin is unique in its own way and requires a professional to handle the cutting, sewing, lining, stitching, etc.

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"I have a name. I have to take advantage of it."   -   Pierre Cardin