From a garage in Inglewood to the streets of Milan.
Forty years of leather, family, and craft. Handmade in Los Angeles. Always.
The Beginning
David arrived from Cape Town with nothing but a passion for leather and a vision no one else could see yet.
Working from a garage in Inglewood, he began handcrafting leather belts for friends. Each one made with the same care and obsession that defines Streets Ahead to this day. Word spread. People wanted more.
Michelle joined him, and together they built not just a brand, but a life. She took the reins on sales and wholesale, building the relationships that would carry Streets Ahead for decades. Five children, two recessions, and forty years later, they are still here.
Our Journey
1982 · The Garage
A dream stitched together by hand.
David Sack arrived in Los Angeles from Cape Town, South Africa with little more than his hands and an innate feel for leather. Working out of a garage in Inglewood, he began crafting belts for friends. Each buckle chosen with intention, each stitch placed with care.
The belts were unlike anything people had seen. Word spread. Orders came. Streets Ahead was born.
David & Michelle, early days
1990s · The Boom
When belts took over fashion, Streets Ahead was already there.
The 90s belt boom turned David's garage operation into a full factory in Los Angeles. Streets Ahead went wholesale, with Michelle leading sales and building the retail relationships that defined the brand's reach. The belts landed in Glamour magazine and on the waists of women everywhere.
David launched two sister brands: Buzz 18, a leather clothing line, and Blujenious, a denim company. Both flourished. Streets Ahead remained the heartbeat.
As seen in Glamour Magazine
2000s · The Expansion
A family built around belts.
David and Michelle raised five children inside the world of Streets Ahead. The studio was a second home. Photoshoots, tradeshow prep, buying trips to Milan. The children grew up surrounded by leather, buckles, and the quiet hum of a factory doing what it loved.
Ruth, their daughter, was often at the center of it. Learning to design, to source, to see the world through the lens of craft and intention.
2010s · Staying the Course
Fashion is a rollercoaster. We held on.
The rise of athleisure and skinny jeans reshaped what women wore. Business slowed. Buzz 18 and Blujenious closed. But Streets Ahead, David's first creation and truest passion, stayed open.
David and Michelle navigated recessions, fashion cycles, and the quiet relentless work of keeping something alive. Michelle's deep wholesale relationships and decades of trust with buyers kept the brand on shelves when it counted most.
Streets Ahead remained a pillar. Made locally, loved deeply.
Michelle modeling for Buzz 18
2020 · The Rebirth
Ruth came home. And Streets Ahead came back to life.
During the uncertainty of 2020, Ruth stepped in to rebuild Streets Ahead for a new generation. She built the e-commerce site from scratch, launched PR and marketing campaigns, and introduced the brand to customers whose parents had worn these belts for decades.
The rebrand honored everything David had built while giving it a fresh, modern identity. Italian leather, handcrafted in Los Angeles, made to order. The story had not changed. The world was finally ready to hear it again.
2026 · Now
Three people, thirteen artisans, and forty years of soul.
Today, Streets Ahead is run by David, Michelle, and Ruth. David designs. Michelle runs sales and wholesale, maintaining the long-standing relationships with buyers and stockists that have kept Streets Ahead on the map for decades. Ruth leads e-commerce, marketing, and brand direction.
Supported by thirteen skilled artisans in our Los Angeles studio, we partner with brands like L'Agence, ship to customers worldwide, and still make every belt to order. Every buckle still chosen with intention by David or Ruth, on buying trips to Milan.
The garage in Inglewood is long gone. The craft it produced never left.
What We Stand For
The values that have guided every belt since 1982.
01
HANDCRAFTED IN LOS ANGELES
Every Streets Ahead belt is made by hand in our Los Angeles studio by thirteen skilled artisans. No factories overseas. No shortcuts. The same care David put into his first belt in 1982.
02
MADE TO ORDER
We never mass produce. Every piece is made after you order it. Allow approximately two weeks for production. We believe in making things with intention, not inventory.
03
ITALIAN LEATHER
Our leather comes from Italy, where we have maintained supplier relationships for over three decades. LWG-certified, responsibly sourced, and selected by David or Ruth themselves on buying trips to Milan.
04
FAMILY FOUNDED
Streets Ahead is not a corporation. It is David, Michelle, and Ruth. A family that has put everything into this brand for over forty years, and plans to keep doing so.
