By Nick Pernokas 

You may have seen a trend in our articles lately. Our subjects are getting younger, they’re successful and they’re turning out a high level of work. Social media seems to have sped up both the learning curve and the cultivation of customers. It also has done away with the long apprenticeships that used to be common in the leather trade. A case in point is Korban Coy Gibbs. 

When Korban was 12 years old in Austin, Texas, he wanted to be a team roper. His grandfather, Jack Sheldon, invited him to come to Wyoming for the summer to team rope with him. There were other factors involved in this offer though. 

“I was just needing some guidance at the time,” remembers Korban. 

Jack Sheldon roped, but he also had a saddle shop in Thermopolis. He agreed to haul Korban to the roping jackpots, but he told him that he’d need to make some entry fee money. Korban began to help Jack in his shop doing odds and ends. Jack frequently took Korban to Sheridan, to visit with leatherworkers like Barry King. Korban was exposed to the Sheridan style of tooling, which fascinated him. He purchased a book on Sheridan-style tooling and started practicing. 

“That’s where it started and that passion ignited,” says Korban. 

All through high school in Austin, Korban made belts and wallets for his friends, using his new obsession with leather. 

In his last year of high school, Korban moved to Alaska. When he graduated, the leatherwork was shelved. Korban realized that he needed to make a living. He began doing construction work, as well as a stint in pest control. In 2021, 23-year-old Korban, now in Wickenburg, Arizona, decided to get back into leatherwork full time.  

Korban used social media platforms like Instagram to reach his customers. He made some funny Tik Tok videos promoting his work and when one of them went viral with almost a million views, he was overwhelmed with orders. 

“Everybody just flooded my inbox. I quit my job that day. In September of 2021, I did $12,000.” 

Construction’s loss was the leather industry’s gain. After a year, Korban was yearning to return to Texas. He talked to a friend, Todd Jeys in San Angelo. Todd owned Jeys Saddlery and he needed someone to tool leather in his shop. 

Now at 25, Korban has settled down in San Angelo, with his fiancée, Sydney, and their four-month-old baby.  Korban works for Jeys Saddlery during the day. Then he goes home and works in his own shop at night.   

Korban primarily makes belts and smaller accessory items like wallets and purses. Currently, he is making a three-ring binder for a wedding. Korban is in the process of moving away from the Sheridan style of tooling to a different floral style created by Dustin Loftis in Oklahoma. 

Korban tries to keep a turnaround time of two to three weeks on his orders. His lined floral belts start at around $300 and go up from there. Everything is oiled and antiqued. Buck stitching is a popular option now. 

Korban’s customers vary from cowboys to people that just want nice, durable leather products. Most are surprised when they find that they can actually talk to a personable guy who can help them with their order. 

“It kind of shocks people at first, when they find that they can have all of this freedom in buying a belt, rather than walking into a big box store and picking what is there.” 

Belts are Korban’s favorite item to build. 

“I get to just draw and go crazy on them.” 

Originally, Korban used actual belt and hole measurements for belts. Todd has gotten him to use his formulas from pant waist sizes, and that seems to be working well. Korban has his customers make sure that their size is consistent from brand to brand of jeans though. If there’s any indecision he falls back on an exact belt measurement. 

“There’s a lot of love that goes into everything, as corny as that sounds,” says Korban. “I fell in love with this craft at a very young age and I’m blessed to be getting an opportunity to still be doing it 12 years later.” 

The best way to reach Korban Coy is to call (512) 629-0522 or on Instagram @kcleatherstudio. His website is kcleatherstudios.com.  

Korban Coy’s Leather Studio 

211 North Howard St. 

San Angelo, Texas 76901