North Vancouver’s Ian Chung was seven years old when he discovered the durable and versatile nature of leather.
His uncle had a tack shop in the Cariboo region of B.C. and while he was busy working on saddles and harnesses, Chung would experiment with the tools and scraps lying around. He’d punch his initials into small bits of leather and his uncle even helped him make a few simple items, like an archery quiver.
Chung’s fascination with leather work grew from there. When he was older, he made guitar straps for himself and his bandmates and he soon branched out and started making wrist cuffs and belts. In 2010, Frankenstrap leather goods was born.
“I slowly ballooned from there, just expanded what I did,” he says.
His sister, Adea Chung, the designer behind Billy Would handmade wooden jewelry, was a frequent craft fair vendor and pushed him to participate in one. So he did. His next event is Got Craft? which takes place May 7 and 8 at the Pipe Shop in North Vancouver and features more than 70 makers and indie craft designers showcasing bath and body products, accessories, home decor items, toys, greeting cards, and more.
In the Frankenstrap studio behind Capilano Mall, Chung creates a wide range of leather goods: wallets, belts, cuffs, tote bags and coin pouches – even elaborate suits of armour.
“There’s an underlying fascination with what I can do with it. Especially with the armour and stuff like that,” Chung says of his creative medium. Not to mention the esthetic beauty of a completed leather project.
“Definitely the process is fun too, but I really like looking at it when it’s all done and all the edges are finished.”
Chung drafts his own patterns and handpicks his hides from both local suppliers and U.S. companies.
“I personally like some marks and scars on the hide,” he explains. “I try to find the nicest and the most unique colours.”
He then cuts, dyes and sews everything to his desired specifications.
Chung ventured into body armour a few years ago after meeting someone involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism who organizes historical re-enactment combat events in the Lower Mainland. He says his Roman suits are engineered much as they would have been in ancient times, with a few modifications for practical purposes.
“It’s all hardened fairly traditionally,” he explains.
Chung also does custom projects: he’s made kidney belts and knife sheaths for fans of ancient combat, and he recently finished a commission for a shoulder sling that holds 15 harmonicas.
At Got Craft? he’ll have a sampling of all his work on display. “Usually I bring a variety of everything and I usually have one of my suits of armour set up in the back just so it sees the light of day,” he says.
Looking back on the last six years, Chung is pleased at how Frankenstrap has grown.
“I started off with one belt design – I didn’t even have wallets – one guitar strap, and a couple different types of cuffs in two colours,” he says. “It’s a hobby, I love doing it, and I want to continue doing it for a long time.”
Visit frankenstrap.com for more info or to shop online.
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Got Craft? takes place May 7 and 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pipe Shop, 115 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver. Tickets: $3 online at gotcraft.com; $5 at the door.
