Business
Art of the Marroquineros
![Avatar photo](https://www.explorebigsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/megan-paulson-46x46.jpg)
![Avatar photo](https://www.explorebigsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/megan-paulson-46x46.jpg)
Published
8 years agoon
![](https://www.explorebigsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_7787.jpg)
White Buffalo Republic leather goods
By Taylor-Ann Smith EBS Staff Writer
In 1989, Jim Sanderson packed his bags and left his hometown of Afton, Wyo., on a religious mission across Guatemala. For his two-year stay, Sanderson needed a sturdy bag to tote his teachings and bought one from a local merchant in San Jose Pinula. It was love after first carry.
Sanderson brought the bag back to the University of Idaho College of Law where he was a student, and later used it as a daily satchel for courtroom litigation in Afton where he currently works as a lawyer. Despite being stuffed with 1,000-page law books and traveling the world, Sanderson’s leather bag has been in use for 27 years, and shows little signs of wear though plenty of character.
“That bag is what got me passionate about leather goods and I wanted more,” Sanderson said.
Meeting his wife Sandra in 2006 brought him back to Guatemala and sparked the creation of White Buffalo Republic.
——-
The economic collapse of 2008 forced Sandra’s family to leave their home in Guatemala City and move to Chiquimula, Guatemala, where her father owned a restaurant that would later go out of business. Fernando Mora, Jim’s father-in-law, asked him what products would sell in the U.S. in hopes of finding a new source of income.
“I made the offhanded comment that my leather bag I’d bought on my mission always attracted attention,” said Sanderson, whose in-laws spent what little savings they had on 20 cheaply constructed bags and
expected him to make a return on their investment.“I remember looking at this suitcase full of leather bags and thinking, ‘I can’t sell these things’ … [However], we did manage to sell all the bags on eBay, [and] Fernando kept sending more of the same.”
Sanderson began to see the value in the bags despite their crude construction, but didn’t want to sell a product he didn’t believe in. At the same time, Fernando’s friends in Chiquimula – the leatherworkers known as “marroquineros” who constructed the bags – were struggling to make a living. Sanderson urged Fernando to raise the quality.
“I was tired of these skilled workers doubting themselves,” Sanderson said. “I’ve owned name-brand leather bags and those from Guatemala were comparable, if not better. I wanted to show them that they ‘can’ and bring them access to the rest of the world.”
Sanderson made a trip to Guatemala in March of 2011 to visit with the marroquineros and develop a basic, high-quality leather bag design. With the help of his family-in-law, he sought an instructor to teach them to develop a simple, reliable leather bag.
Inspired by those carried by early Rocky Mountain explorers, Sanderson and his team developed their first bag, “Basica” that is now sold as the “Alpine.”
By the end of 2011, White Buffalo Republic was an established business with clientele from America and across the world, including Singapore, Russia, and Wales. Set up as a cooperative, all 16 craftsmen
receive a share of the company profits giving them a high quality of living far greater than if they were selling directly to tourists in Guatemala.White Buffalo Republic sells about 60 bags per month, all made to order, and typically take four days each to create. The satchels are made from full-grain, natural vegetable-tanned leather from Guatemala to boost the local economy.
Like the animals the hides came from, each bag is unique with characters such as brand marks, insect bites, and scars. Hides are cleaned and dyed with natural oils and waxes to produce a durable finish without sacrificing the original integrity of the hide. White Buffalo Republic’s craftsmen hand cut, sew, and assemble each bag with as many as 1,700 stitches.
Based on attention to detail and pride in the product, White Buffalo Republic bags are intentionally simple with ease of use in mind. Each bag echoes designs of those used by early explorers and reflect the wild, western traits of Wyoming’s landscape.
White Buffalo Republic goods are functional works of art that carry more than just a laptop or notebook. They carry the spirit of the craftsmen and value of hard work.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
![](https://www.explorebigsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ebs_logo_white_220px.png)
![](https://www.explorebigsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ebs_logo_white_220px.png)
Upcoming Events
july, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Paint anytime from June 1-28EXHIBITION & SALE: June 29 - July 31Calling all artists and nature enthusiasts! Get
more
Event Details
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Paint anytime from June 1-28
EXHIBITION & SALE: June 29 – July 31
Calling all artists and nature
enthusiasts! Get your paintbrushes ready for an unforgettable experience at
Paint Under the Big Sky, a thrilling plein air event set against the stunning
backdrop of Big Sky, MT, Chet Huntley’s “The Last Best Place”. Don’t
miss this chance to unleash your creativity and be part of a vibrant artistic community.
What is Paint Under the Big Sky? PUBS is a plein air event for all painters of any ability (over the age of 16). Sponsored by the Big Sky Artist’s Studio & Gallery and the Big Sky Artists Collective, a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a strong community of artists in the Big Sky area, the paint-out hopes to introduce painters to our extraordinary landscape for an opportunity to create, meet and have fun. Plein air painters record our landscape for generations to come.
Artists are invited to travel to Big
Sky, MT to paint anytime between Jun 1 – 28, and participate in the exhibition
and sale of paintings from June 29 – July 31.
Come join us! We have a great
place to paint and are welcoming and fun!
Don’t miss out!
Time
June 1 (Saturday) 1:00 am - July 31 (Wednesday) 11:55 pm
Event Details
Embrace the freedom and serenity of movement in nature with our rejuvenating morning yoga class on the Mountain Lawn. Allow the fresh mountain air and gentle guided yoga practice
Event Details
Embrace the freedom and
serenity of movement in nature with our rejuvenating morning yoga class on the
Mountain Lawn. Allow the fresh mountain air and gentle guided yoga practice to
invigorate your day of adventure ahead. Complimentary. Weather
permitting.
Time
June 1 (Saturday) 7:00 am - August 31 (Saturday) 7:00 am
Location
Montage Big Sky
995 Settlement Trail
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
June 10 (Monday) 6:00 pm - August 19 (Monday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by
Event Details
Bike Big Sky is a FREE community mountain biking group with BSCO and Gallatin Alpine Sports. Meet at posted locations at 6 p.m. Monday evenings. Visit BSCO.org or swing by GAS for ride information.
Time
June 17 (Monday) 6:00 pm - August 26 (Monday) 6:00 pm