Who we are
We are a collective of local San Diego artists and brands, specializing in creating high quality adornments that are as special as they are unique.
Kate & Damian of Flight of Fancy and Santiago & Jamie of El Gato Montes have been friends for many years. We all meet working and vending at music festivals across the country. We sure did have a lot of fun and a lot of miles on the road. In 2019 we collectively decided join forces creating a unique local retail store front, where our traveling store could now have a permanent location, in its new home of North Park, San Diego.
MORE ABOUT…
El Gato Montes
At Gato Montes we create unique handcrafted wearable art predominantly in the medium of leather, with some metal and stone work. Each piece we create is completely handmade and has a story, beginning with painstaking design work, stone selection, material acquisition and the actual creation of each piece. Our signature leatherwork focuses on age old stone setting techniques and hand-stitching, We also create leather and stone cuffs, rings, purses, utility belts as well as intricate altar pieces that combine the mediums of metal, leather and stone. As hand crafters we seek to return to the classic maker to customer model that we believe will cure the world of poisonous mass production/mass consumerism.
All of our goods are created by our own hands, currently 5 of us, in this way we can effectively share in our profits as well as our losses. Small batch individualized production is our philosophy, tattooed into our consciousness via thousands of hours of human interaction, travel, philosophical discourse and extensive reading and studying global economics and social justice.
Santiago has been leather-working for 10 years and learned his craft in Latin America. He started his business in 2014, The brand quickly grew and Santiago worked music festivals, and events all over the globe selling his art. In 2019 his Fieance Jamie joined forces with the El Gato Montes business and, together they helped to co-create The Gold Dust Collective.
You can see our website at https://www.elgatomontes.com/
- If you like Etsy check out our shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElGatoMontes
Learn more about Santiago’s skills and craft - building and creating custom sprinter vans http://www.roguevan.com/ His second business and new venture located in Pacific Beach,
Flight of Fancy & Haberdash Hats
Flight of Fancy is a design collective born from one desire: conscious crafting. Each piece is hand made in San Diego, CA using sustainable materials in every way possible: gems are hand selected from sustainable mines, metal is discarded scrap, leather is reclaimed, and animal products are collected either completely cruelty-free, or are the byproducts from free-range, complete life cycle food farms. By supporting a sustainable lifestyle, we can hope to make a difference in some small way, one jewelry box at a time.
Flight of Fancy gained it's start humbly at Farmers Markets, and as a means to travel. Damien Ducommun and Kate Connor met in such a setting, and with his knowledge of leather work and her passion for accessories, a collaboration was born. Having traveled around the world sourcing material and inspiration, the duo aims to create from the heart, and share their experiences on a wearable and personal level.
"We love each and every piece, and every wearer as well. Art means so many things, and we truly and humbly hope people enjoy our expressions of it. We just want to thank everyone for their support, and our chance to grow and expand."
HABERDASH MIXES THE COMPLETE HAND FABRICATION AND CREATION OF ONE OF A KIND HATS, THE REPURPOSING AND RESTORATION OF VINTAGE LIDS, AND UNIQUELY DESIGNED HAT ACCESSORIES. EACH PIECE IS ALWAYS ONE OF A KIND, CREATED IN SAN DIEGO, CA. It IS A LINE OF ACCESSORIES AIMED TO BRING BACK THE TRADES OF OLD. HABERDASHERS WERE MERCHANTS ACCESSORIZING FASHION FORWARD MEN, AND THAT'S JUST WHAT WE AIM TO DO WITH HABERDASH. EACH HAT AND ITEM IS HAND MADE USING ORIGINAL TECHNIQUES, WHETHER IT BE HAND FELT BLOCKING HATS OR CASTING UNIQUE PIECES OF METAL, EVERY PART OF EVERY PIECE IS TOUCHED AND TAILORED BY US.
You can see our website https://www.flightoffancydesigns.com/