My full name is Damian Moroni Pacheco Solano. I was born in Iowa and lived in Indiana when I was a kid … both pretty mountain-less environments. I lived, however, a majority of my life in Monterrey, Mexico, where I dreamt about climbing the sharp mountains on the outskirts of the city.

I moved to Utah in 2011, where I picked up leather working by myself. I was in a weird transition in my life and was planning to get into school in the area, but to kill time before I was accepted, I started working leather.

leather chalk bagEventually, a friend introduced me to climbing and I loved it. To me, It seemed obvious to make a leather chalk bag because it was the most rugged material I knew, and one that would withstand the rugged outdoors. I soon realized there weren’t many leather chalk bags out there given that everyone seemed to want one like the one I had made.

One day someone said,

“That’s like Chupacabraskin!”

And so the idea was born. I became inspired to make chalk bags based on mythological creatures.

A chalk bag is something you always carry as a climber. Always dangling from your side, I have always seen my chalk bag as more of a talisman or good luck charm, instead of just a tool. I wanted my chalk bags to serve as more of a sacred object; something to guide you and connect you with nature. So, I created the Mythological Leather Chalk Bag Collection, based on four creatures: the Chupacabra, the Sasquatch, the Mammoth and the Jackalope.

leather chalk bags

leather chalk bag

leather chalk bag leather chalk bag leather chalk bag leather chalk bag

I still continue to pursue leather work, and am currently working on a backpack collection. Meanwhile, I also study Industrial Design at Brigham Young University. The trade of leather working has been in my family for four generations. My uncle remains the only maker of leather gloves for an almost extinct Mexican sport called Pelota Mixteca. It feels good to be the one continuing our family’s leather-working tradition.

leather chalk bag


To order one of Damian’s one-of-a-kind chalk bags, visit his online shop.