The brand was founded in Los Angeles in 2000 by Zip Stevenson.

Its origins lie in the stud work found on American vintage leather goods, primarily from the 1930s through the 1950s. Drawing inspiration from the studs and jewels used on vintage pieces of that era—and the unique character they take on when set into leather—the brand has never aimed simply to reproduce old studded belts. Instead, it strives to create new, contemporary products that carry forward the techniques and spirit behind them.

In HTC's craftsmanship, material selection is essential to bringing this philosophy to life.

We use California Latigo leather. Leather with a brown core and black surface finish—commonly known as "brown-core" leather—is one of the materials that has come to symbolize HTC. As the leather is worn, the black surface gradually fades to reveal the brown beneath, and each piece develops its own distinct character over time.

For the studs, we use brass, embracing the material's natural tendency to change with age. We also use glass rhinestones for decoration. These three materials—leather, brass, and glass—age alongside the wearer, eventually developing a character that no brand-new product could ever possess.

HTC's products come to life through the arrangement of studs and jewels, their interplay with the leather, and the patina that forms with use.

We honor America's time-honored styles and craftsmanship, reinterpret them in our own way, and pass them on to the next generation. This philosophy has been woven into every belt, wallet, and leather accessory we've crafted for over 25 years.

Rather than treating what we've inherited from the vintage era as a relic of the past, we create products that age together with their owners—eventually becoming one-of-a-kind vintage pieces that belong to them alone.

That is the essence of HOLLYWOOD TRADING COMPANY's craftsmanship.