Right after high school, Mary Esposito became physically disabled and legally blind. Unsure what the future held, she started working with Riley, her service dog. To celebrate his graduation, she made him a leather collar — and KoKoLati Leather was born! Mary now makes gorgeous custom leather collars with fun painted designs ranging from waffles to pizza to flowers and more. We asked Mary about her creations, her business, and, of course, the adorable Riley! PLUS: Your chance to win a 100% custom leather pet tag!
Collars by KoKoLati Leather
Where are you located?
We are located in sunny San Diego California.
How long have you been in business?
KoKoLati Leather was started in 2012 after making my service dog a collar to celebrate his graduation. I worked as the sole artist and leather crafter until earlier this year. We now have a select few artists working with us, allowing us to grow to meet the demand.
How would you describe your business?
KoKoLati Leather is dedicated to celebrating the bond between people and their pets. I know first hand how special that relationship is. They are our protectors, nurses when we are sick, lap warmers, partners in crime and best friends! Each one is unique with their own set of habits and quirks just like us and you can see how their personalities match with that of their owners.
Our products allow you to express yourself and your pet’s personality, passions and interests through the artwork while maintaining the durability and comfort of leather.
What kind of items do you sell?
Here at KoKoLati we craft hand carved, tooled and painted leather goods. These are works of art on leather and not just any leather! We use leather tanned to meet the specifications of the finest bag manufacturers in Europe. The quality of all materials used is just as important to us as the beauty of the artwork applied.
We currently sell pet collars, matching Kuffs, pet tags, and leashes. We have a number of available designs and also create fully custom designs tailored and 100% unique to the individual we are working with. We can work with anything from your favorite movie, favorite location, sport, put your dog’s portrait on the collar! Just about anything you can dream up!
Do you have any new or exciting items that you would like to highlight?
Well, our new website should be launching next month (September)! Be sure to keep an eye on social media for the official launch date. We will be having a giveaway contest and will be featuring a number of new and exciting designs!
Do you have any pets?
Oh boy do I! I have a wonderful service dog Riley who is a Golden Retriever. He is my constant companion and best friend. I have a four-pound foster failure Chihuahua named Milo. He was everything I wasn’t looking for in a dog but I fell in love with him the moment I saw him! I also have a pet turkey named Bloopers, a few chickens and two goats that think they are dogs, Buck and Cuddles.
Tell us about the humans behind your business!
My name is Mary. I have always had a passion for animals, especially dogs. Shortly after high school I became physically disabled and legally blind. All of my plans had to change. Then Riley stepped in, a goofy Golden Retriever, and it was impossible not to smile and laugh with him around, I’ll tell you that! For our graduation as a service dog team I wanted something really special to commemorate the day. I couldn’t find what I was looking for so I decided to learn the art of leather craft and create it myself. KoKoLati Leather was born, a fusion of my passion for art and animals. Each time I receive a picture back from a happy customer, my day is made!
What else would you like readers to know?
I think just that when we work on a project with you, our main goal is to make you happy. We want to make sure that this is something really special to you and a piece that you keep and treasure forever. When you order a product, I will be working with you personally to achieve your vision for the piece. It’s a really fun process and you can be as involved as you would like!
If you had one tip to share with a dog owner trying to care for and spoil his or her pet on a budget, what would it be?
We love to bake our own dog cookies! We usually use whole wheat flour, eggs, water and mix in dinner leftovers or peanut butter (making sure each ingredient is safe and unseasoned). You can find a lot of recipes online. It’s a great way to make delicious, healthy and affordable treats using ingredients you have around the kitchen!
Watch Mary’s process from start to finish in the following video from her YouTube channel!
Enter to Win!
You could win a fully custom-designed pet tag in any size with name and phone number on back (examples below). Use the Rafflecoptor widget after the examples to enter. Good luck!
Visit KoKoLati Leather on Facebook and on Instagram and save 15% on your order if you tell Mary that The Broke Dog sent you!
Giveaway item provided by KoKoLati Leather.
48 Comments
I would love either the Ruger gun brand logo, BB8, or jack skellington. So many things!!
Such cool ideas!
I would like to have a custom search and rescue tag!
That’s so great!
First, I’d like to say how great it was of you to cover this story. Mary is gorgeous inside and out. She is probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet.
I’d love to have a little tag for my kitten with fish on it. He loves his fishy wand and these tags are probably much lighter (and a lot more beautiful) than the aluminum ones from the store!
Good luck to all, and thank you for sharing this wonderful story!
You’re very welcome! I was so happy when Mary reached out to me – she seems so lovely and is certainly extremely talented! Thanks for entering and stopping by!
I love leather collars and have never seen any as beautiful as these! Wow, that’s tough to decide. Since our Lab mix Luke is just getting into nosework I think I might do a close up of a dog’s nose or something like that!
I absolutely love this! I didn’t know they were in San Diego! I’ll be headed there for a vacation soon! We should meet up!
Not sure what tag we would get! Everytime I see their products, I have a million ideas! Maybe a zebra or a snake for our job!
Mary may be disabled, but she has a tremendous gift. She is one of the most caring and dedicated small business owners that put ALL of their passion into every single order. I highly recommend her both for her product and the customer service. She can make these beautiful collars come alive.
She really does! She seems like the most wonderful person!
I would like a lucky shamrock for Guinness, my Irish Jack Russell Terrier!
That’s such a cute idea!
email address was not entered correctly, sorry, pc locked up, then entered while i was trying type, i am already a subscriber. would not let me correct.
No worries, you’re good
i did not see any tags on her website. so i would like a brightly colored tag, maybe red with my dog’s name on it. i love the color that states “this is what love looks like”.
my dog name is krypto so must have superman
Love it!
I’d love to do a custom racing theme collar for Penny
That’s such a cute idea!
Gorgeous products, and I love that the human can have a matching belt!
Adorable, right??
I think I would want something that symbolizes Mr. N’s name meaning (joy) but I don’t know what it would be yet.
I would have the HARDEST time deciding – maybe a cow bell because Henry looks like a little cow 😉 But that seems too silly!
These are such cute collars!
Aren’t they? She has such great talent. I can’t image all the carving involved!
Those are some really nice collars and accessories! Dex can’t wear a collar because of his skull malformation, but the person bracelet, very cool. I will have to check it out. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for checking it out! Her work is so beautiful.
Such creative and unqiue collars – I love them. Especially, the cherry blossom design – if only I had a dog.
Perhaps you could request a custom kitty collar?
These are very cool! It sounds like Mary has been able to overcome a lot of obstacles in her life. 🙂 I love that you can get matching collars (for your pet) and accessories (for you).
Yes! So much fun!
This is a great idea. All products are wonderful. Mary may be disabled but she is gifted and I believe that she will be successful.
She is so talented and I just love her work!
I love the collars, just beautiful 🙂
Wow, how beautiful. These really are a gorgeous, unique, gift idea. We’ll be sharing as part of our #ChipCollarTag advocacy 😉
Great post! These are just awesome! I love the human matching bracelets! I’d love something representing my FiveSibes or #LiveGibStrong and a purple ribbon for K9 Epilepsy Awareness…. I’m always so in awe of artists who create such beautiful work. Thank you for introducing me to her work! I’m a follower!
These are absolutely beautiful! Mary is very talented and her collars are so impressive.
An interesting idea for a canvas. Beautiful artwork. Thank you for sharing their story!
Those are beautiful! Mary is very talented!
Amazing how a graduation gift grew into a great business! Love the vibrant colors she uses in her work!
The collars look gorgeous but Kilo the Pug uses a harness so I’d look at a tag. I liked the human bracelet too. Mary seems very talented.
I love how she can make human belts (and other products) to match our pet’s collar.
So cute!
These are so much FUN! The pictures are great. I love the pizza!
Me too! That’s one of my favorites!
Amazing. She’s disabled but she has a tremendous gift. I love the idea of putting Mr.P’s portrait and mine on his collar hehe. A new collar is a great gift for him on middle autumn eve hahaha
It is the best story I’ve heard today. You are a dynamic girl with the indefinite love for your dog. I admire and appreciate all the things you’ve done. Thanks for making my day great!
Wonderful. Your story is so good. YOu have so much love for your dogs. I have 5 dogs at my home too, I would like to use these products for my dogs. Thank you for your post, I appreciate for what you have done. Thank you again.