mcmurray and blonde

made for you in Chicago, IL

Camera Straps

leather camera straps made from high quality, full grain leather

guitar straps

lesson one: keep your guitar off the floor.
lesson two: see lesson one

home & EDC

desk pads, valet Trays, cord keepers, etc.

I found rangefinder style cameras after feeling like a tourist in my own city with a DSLR. I started making straps because I wanted something discrete and high quality. I sell them because it has become a way to connect with people that appreciate a lot of the same things I do. that started mcmurray and blonde

our camera straps

Thin Leather Camera Strap | Horween | Vintage | McMurray and Blonde

Quincy St | Rustic $ 74.00

Leather Camera Strap | Horween | Stitched | McMurray and Blonde

Madison St | Stitched $ 124.00

Leather Camera Strap | Adjustable | McMurray and Blonde

Adams St | Adjustable $ 124.00

Leather Camera Strap | Horween | Wide | McMurray and Blonde

Monroe St | Wide Stitched $ 170.00

Flappy, floppy guitar straps made of low qualify leather with basket weave adjustment. Can't someone just make a simple, high quality piece of leather to keep my guitar off the ground? Yes.

our guitar straps

Riv | Vintage Fixed $ 95.00

Metro | Fixed $ 125.00

Double Door | Adjustable $ 165.00

Testimonials

Big fan of this camera strap! It's so nice to finally see someone make a well designed and thought out camera strap. I use it for my Bronica ETRS and it works/feels great. The 50" length is perfect if you want to have it across your chest and still be able to shoot with it. It's obvious the craftsmanship that went into this. Really nice looking leather and the fact that you can change this strap to another camera easily is awesome. Shipping was super fast which is always nice too. Highly recommend!

— NDS

This strap just makes me want to shoot. It's creamy soft and a delight to behold. Great work, McMurrayAndBlonde!

— JG

Best guitar strap I’ve ever owned.

— PK

Our Methods

Methods Overview

What a Finished Leather Edge Looks Like (Chromexcel Strap)

Here is a quick snapshot of the difference between an unfinished edge and a finished one.

Why We Use Solid Brass Hardware

As much as I possibly can, I use solid brass hardware. Specifically, all belts, key chains, and camera straps have solid hardware.

Inexpensive hardware tends to be made out of aluminum and zinc. Solid brass (and stainless steel) are both heavier and more durable materials. Solid brass also has a natural wear and patina process, unlike stainless steel.

All About Leather

Leather We Use (Summary)

We use several standard types of leather for all of our camera and guitar straps, including Horween Chromexcel and Crazy Horse style leather from several great tanneries. The following is a brief summary of the types of leather we offer and the colors currently available.

Crazy Horse Leather - Is It Made From Horses (or Unicorns)?

The REAL cool part of Crazy Horse is the finished side. During finishing, its LIGHTLY sanded. So it is still a full grain leather, with most of the character left on the top, but is has a very slight matte fuzz to it. It makes for a velvety, soft texture that is a great feature for all leather goods, especially straps.

Tasman Leather Group

Tasman Leather Group is a tannery located in Heartland, ME in the USA. They make a variety of leather, specializing in chrome tanned and vegetable tanned (Thoroughbred Leather in Louisville, KY). Tasman is a family owned company that was started in 1947 making it 71 years old! Tasman produces 160,000 sides of leather a week...that means that 25% of ALL US cattle comes ends up coming through a Tasman facility.

Horween Leather Company | Chicago, IL

Many people's first exposure to Horween is via Chromexcel which is used in several brands of men's boots including Wolverine 1000 Miles and Oak Street Bootmakers boots. Another common introduction to Horween is via the highly coveted Shell Cordovan leather.