Julie Madak

Born and raised in Arizona and comes from a long line of “Makers”. Her mother taught her to embrace life’s challenges with positivity and a smile, how to sew and construct with soft textiles; while her father encouraged her in his woodworking and fabrication shop instilling a love of innovation and creative problem solving. She has been partnering with local designers over the last 20 years, making their visions a reality. Julie is also passionate about spending time outdoors or on the water with her husband and family dog, Rosie.

About the Process: All Madak Atelier products start with full-grain natural, untreated, vegetable tanned leather hides Each piece is then cut, dyed, embossed and stitched completely by hand. Finally, each piece is conditioned, sealed and finished using a combination of Carnauba and Bee’s Wax, Leather Balm and Pure Neatsfoot Oil.

Full-grain leather has not been split, sanded or buffed. The hide retains the animal’s natural markings and imperfections lending an organic look to the finished pieces. We do not work around these imperfections but rather embrace the natural beauty and uniqueness they bring to each piece. Because no outer layers have been removed, full-grain leather is the strongest and most durable leather. It is one of the rare materials that improves with age as its natural beauty evolves over time

Hand Dying our leathers allows us to create interesting and standout color choices. Only water or oil based pigment dyes are used. Since we hand mix and dye each piece individually, no two pieces will turn out the same. Each hide, just like your own skin, is different and they each react and absorb the dyes slightly differently. Because of this, expect slight variations and no two pieces to be the same.