Daniel Wright worked as an electrician for thirteen years and taught himself to sew so he could mend the holes he’d get in his work clothes. Not long after, he was making custom bags for his supplies, and something about the process grabbed ahold of him and wouldn’t let go. Friends started asking if he’d make bags for them, and soon enough he was doing it full-time.

Today the Fort Worth native is known for crafting leather and canvas goods for clients that include Leon Bridges and national brands such as Orvis. His designs are still highly functional—log carriers, dopp kits, briefcases—and always include thoughtful details that take into account how people will use them.

Wright’s company, W Durable Goods, occupies four thousand square feet in a former pasta-making factory. There, dressed in his signature vintage Stetson and pearl-snap shirt, Wright runs a small retail operation and an array of vintage German and Japanese industrial sewing machines (“they’ve had their kinks worked out already”). He’s modest about his work. “This isn’t much different from my job as an electrician,” he says. “I just hope that the things I make solve some kind of problem for people.”

See Daniel’s Dopp Kit in our Made in Texas Gift Guide.