Las Vegas COWBOY Christmas: Four Winds West
One of the talented merchants that I met last week in Vegas included Joel West, owner of Four Winds West, an enterprise dedicated to making hand-made leather bags, accessories, and belts using ancient traditions, and superior craftsmanship.
Every year Joel West travels to Morocco {a country on the Northwest tip of Africa, and just south of Spain} for the business of creating leather goods for the American Western market. It was a wonderful history lesson to learn from Joel the rich history of the Moroccan influence on the American West.
The Four Winds website offers this concise narration of our connections to Moroccan history… “Through the arts and culture of the American West runs a deep Moorish influence. Along with the horse, the conquistadors brought a legacy from seven centuries of Moorish Spain. The techniques and motifs used in their finely worked tack, weapons and saddle blankets are the roots of cowboy gear as well as much Native American jewelry and weaving. Four Winds brings this history full circle. At our workshops in the ancient Moorish city of Marrakech, Morocco, master craftsmen still pursue that tradition of excellence in leather and metal, reflecting a heritage share with us in the American West.”
For over 25 years Joel, and wife, Sindie, have been creating these exquisite handbags and accessories. Joel designs each bag himself. He also picks each piece of turquoise, choosing only the best stones. From the workshops in Morocco come all of the buckles, conchos and metal work. Each piece of metal is handcrafted and must pass the highest standards in order to make it onto a bag. With the finest, full grain cowhides each bag and accessory is put together.
Once the bags have been assembled, Joel finishes each piece and inspects it for quality. No sewing or machine work is used to construct the leather work, it is all hand crafted. The beauty and art of these superior techniques shines through earning Four Winds West a place in King Ranch catalog and also in the Arizona Highways Catalog. Joel’s passion for his craft is evident in each piece. Love it… Thank you, Joel.
** Click HERE to see more of the VEGAS VENDORS
from Cowboy Christmas **
{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com BLOG
delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!
Here is one more bag for you…
I LOVE these belt bags for a night out on the town.
And the lightswitch covers are gorgeous!!
What a great option for your decor…
** Click HERE for More Building DETAILS & HARDWARE **
** Click HERE for more American West FASHION **
** 40% OFF **
at Will Wyatt's
