DETROIT, MI -- The workshop smells old, expensive and comforting.

What was an old tire shop is now lined with rolls of leather ranging from rich mahogany to vibrant yellows. If you get close enough to one of these thick rolls of cow hide, you might say it smells like a new car – and that’s because it nearly was.

Pingree Detroit is making its own Motor City legacy by standing on the shoulders of Detroiters before them.

Pingree crafts bags, shoes and wallets from leather leftovers intended for a steering wheel at the helm of a Bronco or the front seat of a Jeep. Automakers discard this leather due to minor imperfections or discontinued product lines.

Since its founding in 2015, Pingree has kept 55,000 pounds of leather out of the landfill and given it new life as streetwear.

The hands b

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