Horse & Style Magazine: C.S. Simko
As Featured in Horse & Style Magazine
Written by Alli Addison
Photography by Jenna R. Dana
Long admired for its quintessential classic aesthetic, fashionable minds have turned to all things equestrian, season after season. Designers draw upon equestrian culture for inspiration, editors create stunning visual stories to include in the pages of major fashion publications, and audiences continue to crave more. The infatuation with the equestrian set is a fascination that has continued for decades and it is easy to see why. The equestrian look is polished, clean-lined and expertly crafted of rich, deep and timeless materials - tweeds, velvets, crisp whites, brass and silvers, and the most coveted and emulated of them all, leather. Infusing leather into an ensemble instantaneously elevates a "look." In the form of jewelry, shoes, handbags, and details on clothing, leather transforms and completes. Often, the simplest way to complete a look is by way of a great, classic belt. In 2012, Stuart Simko set out to craft a belt for himself and his wife. He wanted to create something that was classic, timeless, a belt that could work for both men and women, and a belt that had a minimalist quality about it. Fantastic things are typically created out of necessity and Simko simply couldn't find anything on the market that met his needs. So he tinkered, he searched for the very best of materials that would provide the longevity to last a lifetime, and he crafted his first belt. It was stunning, it was well-made, and it was desirable. Friends and family began to ask for belts and soon after, C.S. Simko was born.
The name C.S. Simko comes from Stuart, himself, (Charles Stuart Simko) as he feels the quality and construction starts and finishes with him. "The namesake holds me accountable to make the best products possible," says Simko.
Each belt is personally handcrafted by Simko in his studio in Greenville, SC. "We source all our leather from a tannery in England that we feel uses the best quality leather and finishing techniques to create a belt that simply cannot be matched in terms of quality, durability, and beauty. Because our belts are so minimalistic in design we felt that we must use the best and most beautiful leather in order to let the leather speak for itself," says Simko.