While examining her first Louis Vuitton, Kay realized that, since the strap was removable, and she had experience working with leather, she could tool her own strap and add braided details on the handles. Her goal? Using her talents to make something already luxurious more unique and custom. “I was thinking, how can I do something different with fringe without damaging mine or my Nana’s bags,” Kay says.

Shortly after her initial foray into the custom strap and detailed handles, Kay purchased an MM Saint Cloud online and let her creativity run wild. She punched holes, fully fringed, and created belts in place of the generic straps provided. When she finished the bag, she shared a picture on Instagram and it quickly grew a following. Leigh Hajovsky purchased the LV and took it to market where it became a high-interest piece. The orders quickly began coming in and haven’t slowed since. The infamous first-fringed LV spurred Leatherandvodka into becoming an official business in 2015. Kay now works alongside a team of six people from her home in Austin, Texas, building custom orders every day.