Obscure Belts

[obscurebelts]

New Design Launching on Kickstarter in October

So we’ve been a little quiet about our newest design, but get ready guys because the Skeleton is almost ready! We will be launching it on Kickstarter in October. More details to come in a couple weeks.  Here’s a little teaser video to get you guys as excited.

[obscurebelts]

Style Guide - the Ohm

Did you know that September is National Yoga Month? Well, you do now! :)

We don’t claim to know much about yoga, or to be all that flexible, but we do know how to wear a good Ohm belt. The Ohm is definitely one of our most feminine designs, with bright curves and flowing lines. It is a statement piece that livens up any outfit - from the clean, modern look of the Polished Ohm, to the bold, boho chicness of the Copper Ohm 2.0. Cristina’s absolute favorite way is off the hip with a cute dress and a good pair of heels.

In honor of National Yoga Month we are offering 20% off all Ohm and Ohm 2.0 belts until the end of September. Namaste!

[obscurebelts]

Thank you Madison, WI!

Thank you to everyone who came out to see us this weekend at Art Fair on the Square in Madison, Wisconsin! It was very fun weekend, despite the heat and mosquitos (hello summer in the Midwest!). One of the highlights of the weekend was definitely receiving an Invitational Award to return next year. We were 100% not expecting to receive an award this weekend and are so grateful to the jurors for taking the time to understand what our belts and buckles are all about. In an art fair filled with many talented artists and makers, it would have been very easy for our little belt booth to be overlooked, so THANK YOU! We can’t wait to come back next year!

The last time we exhibited at Art Fair on the Square was in 2015, just after we launched the Micron and were saying goodbye to the Raptor. It was great to see some of our older designs walking around the art fair and to see how well they have aged. We even had a couple designs come up that still said “Patent Pending”, giving us the opportunity to proudly say “Patent Granted!”. We hope they continue to hold up pants for many years to come!

[obscurebelts]

We were featured on Touch of Modern!

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks since we last posted. In early April we were a featured product on Touch of Modern for one week. It was an exciting experience to have our belts reach an entirely new audience and we can’t thank them enough for the opportunity. It was our biggest single order of belts ever - the stack of boxes was taller than Cristina! We hope all the new Obscure Belts owners out there love their new belts!

We featured the Dial, Excalibur, Ohm and Ohm 2.0 on Touch of Modern’s website. These belts are what you might call our classics - the original Obscure Belts. They are the designs Bryan’s patents are based on and the first buckles he brought to outdoor festivals around Chicago. Part of their long-lasting appeal is their simplicity - one turn of the dial or pull of the pin and the buckle opens. All our other designs build on those simple ideas to create unique shapes and latches.

It was a lot of work to put together all the belts for Touch of Modern, and our workshop is only now recovering from the tornado we put it through. And just in time for our next show in downtown Chicago. This Memorial Day weekend will be the 40th Anniversary of International Mr. Leather. The event draws in visitors from all over the world for four days of leather. IML is a little wild, a lot of fun, and definitely one of our favorites to attend every year. We’re looking forward to showing off the Fractal for the first time to all our leather guys in a couple weeks!

 Be sure to check out our Events page for more details on our other events this summer.

[obscurebelts]

Style Guide - The Excalibur

We have something embarrassing to admit: sometimes we get so caught up in the making and running of our business that we forget to wear a belt at all. The horror!! So we decided to take a little time this week to get back in touch with our inner stylist.

We are the first to admit that our belts are not shy or subtle at all. They are meant to be worn front and center and to steal the show with any outfit. Sure you can get away pulling your shirt over your belt when you want to go incognito, but why would you? Do the front shirt tuck and wear it proud!

For this looked wanted something casual and stylish that compliments our Excalibur on Grey Rough Rider. Spring hasn’t quite arrived in Wisconsin yet, so a great leather jacket, light scarf and a killer pair of boots are a must. Throw on your favorite pair of jeans to complete this super cool look.

[obscurebelts]

Countdown to C2E2 2018

One of our favorite shows of the year is just around the corner! We are hard at work getting ready for it and thought we’d give you a little insight into what it is like to be belt makers.

We usually apply to events six months to a year in advance (!!) and have a general idea of some of the shows we will (or would like to) exhibit at. C2E2 is one of the ones that we really look forward to every year. We start planning what to make a month or two ahead so we have enough time to get everything ready.

This year for C2E2 we are focusing on our newest design, the Fractal, and some of our more sci-fi designs, like the Enigma and Android. Just to mix things up, we will also bring some one-off Crazy Combo Androids that are only available in-person at the event. We do this to offer patrons something really special and unique that’s not available on our website. And, of course, because they are just so cool!

We set up a mini belt workshop in our booth so that we can make custom sizes on the spot. We also offer repairs for our designs, resizing if your Obscure Belt needs an adjustment, and free replacement sizing studs. It’s important to us that you see the faces behind the belts and know your purchase supports a local small business.

If you’re at C2E2 in a couple weeks, stop by booth 781 and see us! In the meantime, we’ll be in the workshop. :)

- Bryan & Cristina

 P.S. There are still some tickets left online! Get yours on C2E2's website before they sell out!

[obscurebelts]

We traveled the world and now we're home

We took a monthlong vacation to recharge our batteries and jump-start our creative thinking. Our trip took us from ultra-modern Japan to quirky Amsterdam.