Our Story — Fully Involved Leatherworks

Built by Firefighters. For Firefighters.

A Business That Was Never Supposed to Be a Business

Fully Involved Leatherworks was founded in 2013, but the truth is, I never set out to start a leatherworking company. It happened almost by accident.

At the time, I was working full-time as a firefighter in Mooresville, North Carolina. Like a lot of firefighters with young families, I was doing whatever I could to make ends meet. On my days off, I was picking up shifts at other fire stations, selling fire equipment, and teaching at local fire academies to help provide for my family.

Somewhere along the way, my Boston Leather radio strap wore out sooner than I thought it should have, and honestly, it had never been all that comfortable to begin with.

I started looking at replacement straps, but I wasn't willing to spend what some companies were charging, especially after seeing how some of those straps were holding up for other guys on the job.

So I decided I'd just make my own.

Turns out, that wasn't the money-saving idea I thought it was.

After buying tools, leather hides, and supplies, spending countless hours figuring out what I was doing, and throwing more than a few failed attempts in the trash, I finally made something I was proud to wear.

It wasn't perfect the first time. Or the second. Or probably the tenth. But I kept at it until I had a radio strap that was comfortable, durable, and built the way I believed one ought to be.

Then something happened that I hadn't planned on.

Other firefighters started noticing my strap. They asked where I'd bought it, and when I told them I'd made it myself, they started asking if I could make one for them.

One strap turned into a few. A few turned into more. Before I knew it, what started as a personal project had become a business.

That business started in my garage. Today, Fully Involved Leatherworks operates out of an 8,500-square-foot manufacturing facility filled with firefighters, camaraderie, plenty of laughs, and more leather than I ever imagined I'd own.

We've grown a lot since 2013, but the reason we do what we do hasn't changed.

As firefighters ourselves, we understand the pride people take in their gear. We also know that what we carry needs to be comfortable, functional, and dependable—not just something that looks good hanging in a locker.

We believe firefighters deserve quality craftsmanship, a fair value, honest turnaround times, and a company that'll pick up the phone when they need help.

I didn't start Fully Involved Leatherworks because I wanted to own a leather company.

I started it because I believed I could build something better. And all these years later, that's still what drives us.

Justin Cagle
Founder & Owner, Fully Involved Leatherworks