Custom Leather Belts Handmade

Custom Leather Belts Made

A belt is more than just a method to keep your pants or skirt in the right position. It is a fashion accessory, which can pull any outfit together. Your custom leather belt is a timeless piece that will last you a lifetime. Stunning quality material combined with strong metal buckles, edge painting, and expert craftsmanship ensures your belt is made to last. Printed and handmade in our studio, your design is printed all over the belt, creating a flawless finish. 

Start by selecting between smooth or bubble leather to print your chosen design. Then the belt has 2 design panels: the belt itself and the belt loops. The design panel is a 4.7" x 1.34" rectangle that is repeated across the whole belt. Starting from the buckle, it is printed left to right. Giving you the perfect space to display your design. You have the choice between two buckle colors, gunmetal and nickel. We also paint the edges to ensure your belt is of the highest quality. There are 3 edge colors to choose from: charcoal, cream, and brown. With so many customizable options, you can create a belt that reflects your style. No stitch, premium finish.

Sizing For Hemming And Shrinkage

We have a full Cut & Sew service here at Contrado, and are able to hem your fabric prints for a small additional charge. We create a small one- or two-fold hem that typically uses 0.2" to 0.75" (5-20mm) of material, depending on the thickness of the fabric. So, for example, if you want a finished piece of fabric that measures 39.37" x 39.37", you will need to order a size of 39.96" x 39.96" to allow for the hem (on top of that please also allow for shrinkage of min 2%). The thicker the fabric, the bigger the hem will be. You can choose to have your prints hemmed with either Black or White thread. On our silk and other light woven fabrics, one hemmed edge will be straight (vertically down the roll) and the other will be slightly rippled. The hemming material allowances are as follows and you need to make your print bigger to accommodate the hem:

• Light Fabrics (0.59oz-2.95oz): For silks and other light fabrics, we use 0.24" - 0.32" / 6mm-8mm in the hem (2 fold), so overall width/height will be minus 0.48"-0.56""/ 12-16mm
• Medium Fabrics (2.98oz-5.90oz): For medium-weight fabrics that fray, we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (2 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.4" - 1.6" / 35-40mm
• Stiff/Heavy/No-fray fabrics: we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (1 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.5" / 35-40mm

All of these measurements are approximate and can vary. Including with shrinkage, it can mean a fairly significant difference to ordered dimensions, so please plan your print accordingly. Depending on how open the weave is, our fabric can shrink anywhere from 2% to 8% with the average being 2.5%.

How Would you Like the Edge?

• As it comes. We cut around your image, leaving a simply scissor cut, perhaps uneven white fabric border. 
• Hem with thread. We can hem your fabric with a choice of black or white thread. Please allow 1-2 days additional production time. See below for information on how hemming affects the size of your print. We offer an overlock hem, as well as a folded hem (one or two fold depending on the fabric) however not all fabrics are suited to both hem types. If you can see both options, it means both are suitable, and you will be able to choose whichever you prefer. 
• Cut on the line. We will cut neatly on the edge of your design. This means that if you have a border around your design we will cut around that border, if your design takes the whole space of the fabric, then we will neatly cut around the edge of that image. Please be aware, when we cut along the line, we have to cut against the grain of the fabric. This is the standard procedure for fabric cutting. This means that with some fabrics, for example, Georgette and Mulmul, which have a slight wave in them, some fraying will occur. This is unavoidable, as the cut follows the grain of the textile. 

All of our fabrics are cut manually by hand, with the utmost care and attention. If your fabric has a slightly uneven look on the edges or a touch of fraying, this does not indicate a flaw in the textile. It is not always possible to achieve a perfectly straight cut with certain fabrics, so please do bare this in mind when it comes to your design. If you have any queries or would like to know about our cutting methods in more detail, please get in touch and we will be more than happy to discuss them with you.

Please note: As we make everything by hand, all sizes may vary slightly.

For further information about our fabrics see our FAQs.

What parts of the belt are printed?

Your custom leather belt is printed all over the front of the belt. When you upload your design, you have the option to create a design, which is repeated around the whole belt. We also print on the belt loop so the design is continuous and fluid.

Do you make plus size belts?

Your belt is available in several sizes to ensure it can fit a wide range of body types. It is a unisex belt which comes in 6 sizes; XS (26 - 28"), S (28 - 30"), M (30 - 32"), L (32 - 34"), XL (34 - 36"), and XXL (36 - 38"). For further sizing details, please see our size chart.

What design tips do you suggest?

Both art designs and graphics look great when printed onto your custom leather belt. If you want to create a photo design, upload as many images as you would like to create a stunning montage. Repeat seamless patterns look beautiful when printed on the belt as they will look like one continuous design.