In Profile:
Garrett Leather

Name: Company profile
Company Name: Garrett Leather
Position Within Company: Vice President of Marketing
Website: garrettleather.com

Tell us a little about the company background:

Garrett Leather is a leading provider of premium leather products, renowned for exceptional craftsmanship and commitment to quality. With a rich heritage spanning several decades, Garrett Leather has become synonymous with luxury, elegance, and innovation in the leather industry. Our extensive range of leather caters to various industries, including private aviation and yacht design, as well as corporate, residential and hospitality design. All products ship from our corporate headquarters located in Buffalo, New York.

How does your company approach each project from concept to completion?:

Every project begins with listening — to the designer’s vision and to the lifestyle expectations of their client.
For aviation and yacht interiors, where materials must embody both performance and prestige, we partner closely with our Italian tanneries to explore the most advanced developments in leather innovation — from elevated finishing techniques to new tactile and visual expressions. Technical excellence is only the starting point.
We engage designers in thoughtful dialogue around their creative direction, current challenges, and the subtle cues that define luxury for their clientele — whether that’s a distinctive color story, a signature texture, or a refined sensory experience.
From there, we collaborate with our tanneries to develop leather solutions that are not simply specified, but curated. The result is materiality that enhances the narrative of the space — leathers that perform impeccably in demanding environments while delivering the depth, character, and individuality that discerning owners expect.
From concept through completion, our role is to develop material experiences that feel effortless, exclusive, and enduring.

Where inspires your company in this sector?:

The shared pursuit of excellence is what inspires Garrett Leather in this sector. The focus on quality, performance, high standards, and attention to detail align with how Garrett Leather approaches our business and our clients.

In what direction do you feel that your projects are moving towards in a general sense?:

We feel an increased mindfulness in sustainability and performance. Designers seek creative solutions and often look for more artistic, visually striking elements. We’ve seen an uptick in requests for quilting, embroidery, tipping, embossing, and other specialized techniques to add pattern and texture to interior spaces.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching projects in the future.:

Five key themes are central to our approach as we develop new leather products for mega yachts and private aviation.
1. Nature – natural elements provide inspiration with sustainability top of mind.
2. Texture/Pattern- tactile immersive experiences are imperative, as leather invites touch. Patterns, such as organic, floral, geometric, etc. add visual interest.
3. Handcraft – highlighting time-honored techniques like woven, hand-tipping, antiquing.
4. Performance – high quality and durability to withstand the test of time.
5. Innovation – utilizing creative techniques to raise the bar of luxury.

If your company could offer one piece of advice when it comes to projects, what would it be?

One piece of advice when it comes to projects is to gain a thorough understanding of leather and the benefits it provides. For centuries, leather has been the material of choice and luxury for great reasons. There are so many varieties of leather today and not all leather is the same nor performs the same. It is easy to become overwhelmed with all the options. Reach out to a leather professional to help you navigate your options and determine what products work best for your clients.

How important are The International Yacht & Aviation Awards?:

The importance of The International Yacht & Aviation Awards is massive. This globally recognized event unites designers from many countries all around the world to celebrate the best in design. The selection process instills awe and provides inspiration to designers in other sectors that extend far beyond yachts and aviation, as demonstrated by the amount of time and care that participants take when voting. It is one of our highest honors to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.

What projects are you currently working on?

We are currently developing an elegant leather collection designed to thrive in many environments, ideal for yachts. It has a matte finish and powdery soft hand, offering a tactile experience that is nothing short of indulgent. It performs exceptionally well when evaluated for abrasion, flammability, lightfastness, weather resistance, and colorfastness to both chlorine and sea water. This new collection will be available in fourteen carefully curated colors beginning in May 2026.

What was one of your company’s key projects to work on and why?

One of our key projects was collaborating with Mark Berryman Design to develop leather collections for the luxury yacht industry. We worked with other design firms in the contract and hospitality industries, but this was the first time we paired with a yacht designer. The original design brief was developing leathers inspired by nature that instill calm and reduce stress. Mark Berryman wanted leathers with strong visual and tactile appeal to pique clients’ interest and encourage touch and interaction with the material. We developed a series of embossed leathers with handcrafted finishes to achieve visually striking leathers that mimic organic surfaces found in nature. That experience and focus on tactile appeal helped inspire these newest collections.

What was your company’s most challenging project to work on and why?

One of the more recent challenging projects we worked on was a 1000 square foot order of Saddle Leather in a custom color for RWD. The project required three rounds of strike-offs to get the color perfect. Upon strike-off approval, we produced the order quickly to meet the client’s deadline.

What are your company’s aims and goals for the next twelve months?:
Garrett Leather aims to be the first and only leather resource for designers in the mega yacht and private aviation sectors. We strive to earn the trust of every designer and their clients by providing the highest quality leather, and five-star service. Over the next twelve months, our goal is to introduce three innovative leather collections developed for these two important industries. The first will be coming soon in May 2026. Two additional collections will be introduced later this year in the fourth quarter.