A LOVE AFFAIR WITH LEATHER
Former real estate agent Chrisxavior Bautista Aguila quit his day job to devote his life to crafting the material
Chrisxavior Bautista Aguila wanted a minimalist wallet, but couldn’t find any that he liked. So he decided to make one himself.
The 35-year-old Fine Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas enrolled himself in a bag-making class, and that was the beginning of his love affair with leather.
“Leather has a certain sense of ownership and individuality. No two leather pieces are the same and each has its own intricacies and story. These made me love the craft,” Aguila told Lifestyle.
He continued learning on his own, with the help of the internet, in his desire to “reverse engineer everything and learn how every masterpiece is made.”
Aguila used to work as a real estate agent. It was when he quit his job and started working from home for a New Zealand-based advertising and logistics company that he found the time explore his new passion for leather crafting.
“But I found it hard to balance both, because my day job needed me at erratic times and for countless strategy meetings. Leather crafting also takes time,” he said.
It takes even more time because Aguilar describes his design process as “very meticulous.” It took him a year to finish conceptualizing and prototyping his first product. “I want my products to be conversation pieces.”
He would often find himself up in the wee hours of the morning so he could spend time working with leather. Eventually, he had a big choice to make: Should he quit his job for his new passion?
Crafting full-time
“I contemplated, and in the end chose what made me feel more fulfilled. I’ve been crafting full-time ever since.”
He launched his brand SATO in June 2020— yes, in the middle of the pandemic. He named it after his dad, who, according to Aguilar, left the country and sacrificed being with his family for a better future. “I completed my first-ever wallet on the day my father passed away. I would love to continue his legacy through the brand by creating timeless, minimalist, handcrafted pieces created with care.”
His flagship product—The Datu, a minimalist, handcrafted money clip and card holder—remains Aguilar’s favorite. “It’s perfect for the ‘new normal,’” he said.
There’s also The Dayang, a no-stitch coin purse/card holder/ candy pouch and The Kalasag, an AirPods/AirPods Pro holder.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of The Dahon, a card holder that can fit three to four cards, will be used to support the Masungi Geopark Project, which aims to restore and reforest the degraded lands around the Masungi Georeserve.
Pieces are made to order and can be personalized.
Clients
SATO has a wide variety of clients—from students and fellow artists to parents, young professionals and business owners. “They’re driven, accomplished individuals who know what they want and know how to get them.”
He calls them “the Maharlika” and greets them with a message that they’ll find when they unbox his creations. “They love it,” he said. “They love the smell and feel of the leather, too, and they notice how detailed the stitch work is and how much work I put into making a piece.”
One year on, SAT O continues to be a one-man proudly Pinoy brand, with Aguila doing everything from marketing, to packaging and, of course, creating his products by hand. “It’s a lot of work. I do everything. It’s never easy but you can’t complain when you genuinely love what you do, right?”
Fashion designer Francis Libiran recently sent Aguilar a message. “It was wonderful. He told me to keep creating beautiful things.”
That’s exactly what Aguilar intends to do. SAT Oh asa lot in store for the future, he said. He will be launching the rest of The Maharlika Collection in the coming months— from wallets to passport holders, all made with full grain, vegetable-tanned leather. His clients have also been waiting for the release of his leather key chain. “Aside from small everyday pieces, we will be expanding into bags and shoes in the coming months.” INQ