Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Gomez.
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got my start in art when I took a beginner’s sewing class in 2016 and it immediately just ‘clicked’ with me. I quickly taught myself how to sew zippers and began branching out, making dicebags, tote bags, and eventually fanny packs.
I didn’t get into leather-working until the end of 2018 when a friend asked if I could make a leather sheath for knives he was making & once again, I taught myself a new trade and fell in love with the process of making something entirely by hand.
I fell so hard for leather-working and creating that I eventually left the high-tech industry 0f 20+ years to pursue my craft full-time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing ever comes easy in life and taking my business full time was the scariest thing I’ve had to face and I did this two weeks prior to the pandemic. I finally left the high-tech industry that I was in for over 20 years to take my business full time. I had just landed two large accounts before the pandemic hit so I thought I was off to a great start & then COVID hit so those accounts had to pull out before I was able to make an announcement.
I wasn’t sure if my business was going to survive and for the first week of the pandemic, I was in limbo. I decided to pivot my business to making face masks so I could help out those in need as well as giving back to the local community. It paid off big time. I ended up making thousands of face masks, donated 25k to over 15 different local charities, was featured on NPR, and featured on one of the most popular ASMR YouTube streams.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make minimalist wallets, bags, and Fanny Packs that showcase Japanese Fabrics and ethically sourced Bison and Horween leathers.
Kaiju Cut & Sew products are easy to pick from a crowd. The leather, which is ethically sourced from tanneries in Washington State and Chicago that wait for cows to die of natural causes; mixed with the detailed, brightly colored designer fabrics that I import from Japan makes for a striking combination. To add even more originality, I use a signature cadmium red stitching and edge paint to each leather product.
It’s a play on Tiffany’s signature blue boxes; now when customers see and purchase my leather goods, they can identify it from the signature Kaiju red stitching and edge paint.
I’m most proud of the money I was able to donate in 2020 from the proceeds of my face mask sales.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
The biggest risk was taking my small business full time in 2020. For years my business was more of a side hustle but I kept getting asked, “when are you going to go full time?” I was terrified of leaving the tech industry but knew I wouldn’t be able to devote the time needed to make my products if I didn’t do it full time.
Another risk is whenever I launch a new product. It could be a new line of apparel, new wallets, new merchandise, etc…I never know how the public is going to react to these new items and it sometimes prevents me from launching something initially but I have a solid support group & team that gives me feedback before a new product launch so that always helps in the decision making.
Contact Info:
- Email: kaijucutandsew@gmail.com
- Website: kaijucutandsew.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaijucutandsew/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaijucutandsew
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaijucutandsew
Image Credits:
Kaiju Cut and Sew
