Most of what we make begins with a bag pattern. This one began with an ice chest, a sold-out Zach Top show at the Hilliard Center, and a chance to make something for an artist whose music was already familiar around the shop.
Through our partnership with the Hilliard Center, we had the chance to make the finished carrier as a gift for Zach before the show. From the beginning, we knew it needed to be useful, but we also wanted it to feel connected to him. Zach’s classic-country sound gave us a natural direction, and the rest came together one detail at a time.
The Details That Made It Useful
An ice chest has a shape of its own, which gave us something new to work through. A simple cover would not have been enough. We wanted Zach to be able to pick it up and take it with him without having to keep up with a second bag alongside it.
That led us to the long leather straps, which can be carried by hand or over the shoulder, and to pockets along the outside for the things that needed to stay close but did not belong in the ice. The zipper follows the upper edge so the cooler can still open easily once it is inside. Dark brown leather brought those practical decisions into one finished design.
Made with Zach in Mind
With Zach in mind, we looked for a balance between the practical parts of the carrier and the touches that would make it distinctly his.
His name and longhorn mark became the focal point on a tan leather panel across the front. Hair-on-hide across the top brought in texture, while dark brown leather carried through the rest of the design. Together, those choices gave the carrier character without making the custom work feel overdone.
A Gift Before the Show
Zach’s music had been playing around our shop long before this project came along, so seeing the Hilliard Center hand him the finished carrier before his sold-out Corpus Christi show felt especially full-circle. It took something made in our South Texas shop and placed it in the hands of an artist we were genuinely glad to make it for.
A custom project lives in the shop for a while before anyone else sees it. There are pieces of leather on the worktable, a name panel waiting to be added, and conversations about what should stay and what should be taken away. By the time it leaves the shop, the original idea has been worked through, changed, and made real in all of those small decisions. Seeing Zach with it was the moment all of those details became the gift we had been working toward.
What Custom Work Makes Possible
Custom work gives us a chance to take an idea past its practical purpose and make it personal. Having the chance to create a gift for Zach, whose music we already enjoyed, made this project especially memorable from the start.
Now that it’s left our shop, we hope the carrier travels with him from one stop to the next and gets put to good use for years to come. The scuffs and marks it picks up will let the leather settle into its own character over time.
