When it comes to premium, American-made belts, no one surpasses the superior quality and attention to detail found in handmade belts from Chacon – with all new styles and leathers, now available at Nigro’s!
Bruce Erickson, founder of Chacon Belts and Buckles.
In 1974, Bruce Erickson began handcrafting leather belts from his New Mexico home and selling them door-to-door to local Santa Fe retailers. Each handcrafted belt from Bruce was truly a one-of-a-kind, designed with care to not only be beautiful, but also durable. As word of mouth spread, the popularity of these fashionable belts steadily grew and orders started pouring in by phone – to the point where Erickson no longer needed to sell door-to-door. In 1986, Erickson expanded his product line by designing sterling silver buckles to complement his Southwest-inspired belts.
One of Chacon Belts and Buckles master belt makers at their Rociada, New Mexico facility.
Today, Chacon Belts and Buckles are widely sought out by fans of quality western wear – not only in New Mexico, but from across the entire country.
Although Chacon has grown by leaps and bounds, each Chacon belt and buckle is still manufactured at Erickson’s Chacon facility in Rociada, New Mexico (on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo range). What’s more, the company is still run by Erickson and his family and a few of their friends.
From buying domestic and exotic hides, to cutting, dying and punching leather, each belt is hand-constructed and hand-finished. The buckles used for Chacon belts are primarily those of Erickson’s design. Each buckle is entirely hand-cast and hand-finished – including all engravings, gold and stone overlays.
Chacon belts are crafted specifically for western wear consumers searching for high-quality, American-made products. Erickson notes that Chacon belt and buckle designs have several influences, including Western, Spanish, and Mexican, with buckle-making styles and designs influenced by original Native American jewelry and sterling silver production techniques. Chacon’s master belt and buckle artisans are unmatched in their leather-working skills and their sterling silver casting and crafting abilities.
To fully appreciate the finished beauty of a Chacon belt or buckle, one must also appreciate the passionate dedication behind its individual creation and the inspired commitment to excellence of the Erickson family. Chacon belts are the perfect blend of form meets function; in fact, to own a Chacon belt is to own a belt both with the tried and true durability of a work belt – and the refined, stylish good looks of a belt suitable for an evening out on the town.
