Made in Yangon, sold from Melbourne

Irrawaddy Leather imports jackets from one workshop in Yangon and sells them online from Melbourne. This page says who makes them, what they are made from and why delivery takes two to three weeks.

Two leather sides laid out on a cobbled floor in raking light

Two sides laid out before cutting at Thazin Leatherworks. Marks and scars stay in the hide, so the cutters plan around them.

11makers on one workshop floor

14hours of hand work in each jacket

2-3weeks from order to dispatch

Thazin Leatherworks, Yangon

The workshop opened in 2011 in Hlaing Tharyar, an industrial township on the western edge of Yangon. U Kyaw Soe leads a team of eleven: three cutters, six machinists and two finishers.

Irrawaddy jackets run on their own line, so the same people cut, stitch and finish every style we sell. A jacket passes through four hands, and each one signs the inspection card.

Cutting: 2 h
Stitching: 8 h
Hardware and finishing: 3 h
Inspection: 1 h
Hand work per jacket: 14 h

Machinist stitching a leather belt on a walking-foot machine

Stitching on a walking-foot machine, which feeds thick leather evenly.

Whole sides of full-grain leather

Our lambskin (0.9 to 1.0 mm) and cowhide (1.2 to 1.4 mm) are tanned by Kaveri Tannery in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India. We buy whole sides, not offcuts, and the cutters work around marks by hand so each panel follows the grain.

Full-grain means the top layer of the hide is left intact, with no sanding and no embossed finish. It darkens and softens with use instead of cracking or peeling.

Close-up of full-grain leather showing the natural grain and creases

Full-grain leather up close. The grain and creases belong to the hide.

Why delivery takes 2 to 3 weeks

Every jacket is made in batches, then flown to Melbourne and checked again before it ships. That is slower than a warehouse order, and it is the reason the price is lower than a shop's.

Cutting to inspection, Yangon: 7 to 10 days
Air freight to Melbourne: 4 to 6 days
Customs, our own check, dispatch: 4 to 5 days
Order to dispatch: 15 to 21 days

Then 4 to 5 days by Australia Post to a capital city address. If you order today, your jacket arrives approx. 6-13 Nov. Delivery times by region

Hands marking a leather panel from a paper pattern on the bench

Marking panels from the paper pattern, the first step in every batch.

Thida Win, founder

I started Irrawaddy Leather in 2023 after buying a jacket from Thazin Leatherworks on a trip to Yangon. I visit twice a year, inspect every batch in Melbourne before it ships, and answer the email and phone myself.

Irrawaddy Leather
Online store, based in Melbourne VIC
ABN 00 000 000 000
Phone 0491 570 156
hello@irrawaddyleather.com.au, replies within 1 business day

See the jackets made here.

Shop jackets