Rae and David Liu, the brother-sister co-founders behind luxury leather accessories brand Leatherology, "had the entrepreneurial bug" from a young age — but they didn't make the leap to business ownership right away.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Leatherology. David and Rae Liu.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, the siblings' early work experiences took them to New York and elsewhere: Rae launched a career in the fashion industry while David developed expertise in advertising, marketing and sales.

In 2001, their father, David Liu, an entrepreneur himself, officially incorporated the vertically integrated ecommerce company DC International. With complementary professional skill sets under their belts, the siblings decided to start a direct-to-consumer brand under DC International's umbrella: Leatherology.

"We own our manufacturing in China, and it's really unique because it's ours, wholly owned, and only produces for [our brands]," David says. "So that makes us end-to-end. Leatherology is built on top of that. [Entrepreneurship] runs in our blood, and it's brought us to where we are today."

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Rae's work in the accessories space sparked her initial vision for the brand. She had a deep understanding of leather products and how the industry worked, but the cost of quality goods remained a barrier for many consumers, including herself.

"I found myself in my 20s, working long hours in the fashion industry, and realizing that I could never afford the bags that I was working on," Rae recalls. "Price point and quality were really important to me. I thought that there [had to be] a better way."

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