An artist by trade, Cedric Lopez was always creating new objects with his bare hands. Mirroring his father, Byron, he would spend hours on end in his workshop. This approach led him to study architecture at Florida Atlantic University where he studied his freshman year.
An Orlando native, Lopez moved to South Florida to do digital marketing for a cleaning franchise. Unsatisfied with his development, he decided to move back to Orlando to attend UCF for their entrepreneurship program and resources.
In his free time he would practice Kendo and that is when he noticed the tear in his leather glove used for fencing. His father used that moment to expound upon his hand making skills and began collecting the tools necessary to repair his son’s gear.
It was around that time that Lopez took it upon himself once again to begin fiddling with a new equipment.
“One day I was bored and decided to make a card wallet out of leather,” Lopez said. “From that point I thought I should make a case for my laptop for school… once I finished it, I posted a picture of it [online] and people asked me if I could make them one.”
He used his new found craft as an escape route to his old creative venture: architecture.
“[Studying architecture] was the last time I remember truly loving and getting lost in what I did.” He continues, “I had forgotten what that feeling was like until I started tinkering with leather.”
At the time of this venture, Lopez was busy developing an app NiteGrid, which would help partygoers choose the best place to attend on any given night. While he used his leather making as a source of income to support his app, he found himself dedicating more time to his more hands on project.
“I ended up choosing leather because it reminded me of when I studied architecture; I loved how I was able to get lost and lose track of time.”
The UCF Blackstone Launchpad, a student-led organization, helped Lopez legitimize the business he initially started on his personal Facebook. Getting him in contact with mentors and other like-minded individuals, they assisted him with the creation of his webpage and design logo.
“Business has been great, I know I can take this to the next level,” Lopez said. “Eventually I see my work rivaling Hermes, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton.”
For more information on Lopez and his craft, check out his website and Instagram.
