Hey there I'm Pete — the designer behind A.W.L.

As a youngster, I’d sit and watch my grandfather stitch leather pouches by hand—precise, steady, focused. One day, he handed me my own set of tools, including a simple leather awl—my first step into a lifelong appreciation for the handmade.
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Years later, I inherited my grandmother's sewing machine, a sturdy Swiss-made beast from the 1980s that I still use for every bag. My mother taught me the basics of sewing and I quickly fell in love. I proudly carry the lineage of three generations every time I sew.
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A.W.L. is more than initials. It’s about the stories stitched into every material. I spend hours hunting textiles—wool blankets and forgotten weaves. These fabrics had past lives. I honor them with time, care, and new purpose—a continuation of what came before, and an invitation to carry it forward.