Kyle Hix always knew he was going to do something artistic with his life. After years in the automotive industry custom-painting hot rods and fabricating new interior upholstery, Hix has now found his true calling in bespoke, hand-stitched leather goods at Hix Design.
LC: Have you always been interested in design?
KH: I took an upholstery class and fell in love with designing the inside of a car from scratch. I loved building custom door panels and seats to make them come alive. I worked on hot rod interiors for 10 years, but then had a snow skiing accident with a major knee injury. During that recovery, I wasn’t able to get in and out of cars—so I started making duffel bags.
LC: Why duffel bags?
KH: I bought a leather duffel bag that I thought was cool but when I brought it home, I thought, “I could have made this.” I was already doing leather tooling and hand-stitching for things like motorcycle seats and had a vision of what I wanted to make in my mind. I sketched it out and then started making a pattern. Since I really only knew car upholstery, I took that approach. I made a foam version of a duffel bag first, then cut the leather based on that pattern.
Photos by Charlie Neuenschwander
LC: How did you begin selling your leather goods?
KH: It was the beginning of people selling things on Instagram, and I had a decent following. I sold everything that I would post. I started with the duffel bags and then moved into wallets. We moved into the Plaza almost 10 years ago, and our current retail space opened last Father’s Day.
LC: How have your designs changed over the years?
KH: I have paid attention to what works and what doesn’t and continue to refine our patterns. One wallet has gone through four different iterations, but now functions perfectly. The first duffel bags I made were all machine-stitched but I didn’t like how the machine would blow out the back of the leather. It wasn’t the quality I was wanting. I started down the path of hand-stitching, using two needles by hand. We could punch each hole and make each row perfect. It was important that the back of the product looked as good as the front.
LC: Tell me about your Hix Design retail space.
KH: We think of our store as a showroom. Everything on display is available to purchase and is carried in our standard colorways. But we really encourage our customers to custom design their piece. Once you pick which bag or wallet you want, you have a choice in leather, thread, hardware and liners, all for the same price. Everything is customizable and you will get your personalized brand-new piece in about six to eight weeks. We will also work with you to design something completely new if we don’t carry exactly what you want.
LC: How do you differ from other designers?
KH: We are a team of three and have been working together for over 10 years. I do the design, Justice Whitnah cuts the leather and Matt Dumond does the hand-stitching. We don’t have a background in fashion and are just three guys making bags. We think about shape, function and how the bag will operate, then use techniques to make it last longer by reinforcing and backing the leather. Life-long quality is our first priority. Our designs are typically pretty masculine, but we are able to design and make anything. We strive to respect our materials and are just kind of unapologetically American-made.
