Orox Leather Co. crafts enduring goods in Oregon and Oaxaca.
Text by Emilly Prado
Images by Celeste Noche
When José Martinez was 8 years old, he became fixated on owning a pair of trendy leather sneakers. José, who grew up in the bustling yet communal city of Oaxaca, Mexico, had seen a pair on television and wanted his own. He begged his father to buy them.
“My dad said, ‘I don’t have the money, but come and I’ll explain something to you,’” José recalls. “He took out a piece of fabric, a piece of slick leather, an oilcloth, and a form in my size.” His father then showed him how to stretch and shape the materials into shoes, as if it were a fun game.
José Martinez, who started Orox Leather Co. with his son Martin, had learned the skill of leathercrafting by the time he was 12 years old.
Although José had grown up watching his father craft leather huaraches and belts for a living, it hadn’t crossed his mind that there were other products a leather maker could design. “It was a beautiful experience,” he says. “I believe that was my spark.”
By 12 years old, José could handcraft just about anything. By 15, he was making and selling leather goods—a craft passed down from his grandfather who undertook leathermaking in the 1930s—alongside his father full-time. In 1991, he moved to Japan to make products for clients on the spot, having been invited by Japanese businessmen enamored with his skills. Five years later, he returned to Oaxaca, opening its first sushi restaurant with his wife, Jackeline, before returning to leathermaking after nearly a decade.
In 2004, Martin, José’s eldest son, made his own move abroad to Oregon in pursuit of a business degree from Portland State University. On a study-abroad trip to Oaxaca, Martin had his own moment of clarity. “I thought, ‘How can we create a link between Oaxaca and Oregon?’ That was part of the enlightenment,” he says, “meeting Oaxaca from two different eyes.”
While still in school, Martin pitched Orox Leather Co.—“OR” for Oregon and “OX” for Oaxaca—to José via long-distance calls. Soon after, they started selling wares at the Portland Saturday Market. By the time Martin graduated in 2011, they had expanded their line of belts, keychains, and wallets to include bags and accessories.
In 2012, Orox moved into a brick-and-mortar storefront in Old Town that doubles as its production studio. The fast-fashion disconnect between consumers and manufacturers is nonexistent here, where the scent of leather wafts through the air, and the clanking of hardware and buzz of sewing machines complement the shop’s jazzy soundtrack. New belts, having journeyed the few feet from production room to display racks, hang proudly next to the same product worn by another Martinez for 10 years, demonstrating its durability and rich patina.
“It brings us so much joy when our customers come back and want us to fix their bags,” José says. “What we love more is when people come to our store to buy another product instead of buying the same product.”
“We want to create something that you would pass onto your children,” Martin says, “and it will still be a hip, timeless piece.”