The Story of Ghurka Bags

In this short video, Walker Wacwilliam tells the story of American leather accessory brand Ghurka where he serves as the creative director. Named after Gurkhas, the British/Indian elite military units enlisted in Nepal, the brand was started by a chance friendship that developed over the failed auction of a collection of leather belts boots and backpacks which, despite almost a hundred years passing between owners, were still in incredible shape. These were owned by a former Gurkha commander stationed in India. Carrying on that legacy of timeless craftsmanship are the Ghurka workers highlighted in the video who use low-tech and traditional handcrafting methods to make their bags and who enjoy nothing but, in the words of Macwilliam, “Making beautiful things out of beautiful leather.”