Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.
What They Do
Shoe and leather workers and repairers restore and create items made from leather and similar materials, bringing worn footwear and accessories back to life or crafting new pieces from scratch. They spend their days examining damaged shoes, bags, belts, and other leather goods to determine what repairs are needed, then carefully stitching torn seams, replacing worn soles and heels, dyeing leather to match original colors, and polishing finished items. Many work with both hand tools and specialized machinery like sole stitchers, edge trimmers, and buffing wheels. They select appropriate materials from their inventory of leather pieces, threads, glues, and findings to ensure repairs match the original construction.
Programs That Prepare You
College programs linked to this occupation, ranked by graduate earnings
