Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins Funk legend. Parliament-Funkadelic. The Bootzilla himself.
Some connections happen by accident and turn into something unforgettable.
I spotted Bootsy's wife Patty walking through a hotel at NAMM. I was starstruck immediately — but I kept my cool, introduced myself, told her I make custom handmade leather straps and that I'd love to make something special for Bootsy. She smiled and said: come find him, he's judging a funk contest right now.
I did. We talked. He lit up when I told him about the repurposed leather and the custom work. We exchanged contacts and kept the conversation going after the show.
A few days later I emailed him to follow up. I meant to write "I met you at the funk contest." What I actually sent was "I met you at the fuck contest." I only noticed after I hit send.
He was gracious enough to keep the conversation going anyway.
We worked through a few prototype designs together before landing on something that felt truly like Bootsy — bold, iconic, unmistakable. His signature symbol is the star, so I set 20 hand-placed star studs into the strap: 10 across the front, 8 on the back, in a specific pattern. A star cutout in gold or silver sparkle sits at the center. And on the back, his signature — embossed in gold or silver using a custom dye made from a PDF he sent me personally.
The result is available in black or brown, and there's nothing else like it.
Thundercat
Thundercat Grammy Award-winning bassist, singer, and composer. One of the most original musical voices of his generation.
I knew I might run into Thundercat at NAMM. So I didn't wait for the meeting to happen — I prepared for it.
Before the show, I made him two completely custom straps, designed around his aesthetic without ever speaking to him. That's the thing about Thundercat — his visual world is so specific, so personal, that you can study it and understand exactly who he is. The fashion, the references, the humor, the depth. And one detail stood out immediately: a gold Sonic the Hedgehog necklace he wore. That told me everything I needed to know.
I made him two straps. The first: a gold Sonic the Hedgehog strap, built around that exact image. The second: a black strap with his logo — Thundercat — in red. Both custom, both made by hand, both built specifically for him before we'd ever met.
When I spotted him on the floor at NAMM I didn't hesitate. I ran to grab the straps, caught up with him, tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around. I introduced myself — LK Straps, handmade, repurposed leather, custom made, built one at a time. Then I said: I made these for you. I'm a big fan. I hope you'll wear them.
He looked at them and his face said everything before his words did.
"Wow. Those are absolutely incredible. I'll definitely use them live. I promise."
He kept that promise. I watched him perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live — playing his new single "Distracted" — wearing the strap I made him. On national television, in front of millions of people.
That's what this is all about.
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller Jazz and funk icon. Producer, composer, bassist to the legends.
My first ever LK Straps booth was at Gerald Veasley's Bass Boot Camp. I was set up, nervous, and excited — and then Marcus Miller walked in.
He was just browsing, moving through the booths the way legends do — unhurried, present, genuinely curious. I recognized him immediately. I stayed calm, approached him, and gave him the short version: handmade leather straps, repurposed leather, built one at a time in Los Angeles.
He liked what he heard. He liked what he saw even more. I offered him a strap as a gift — no strings attached, just something made with real craft for a player who deserves it. He picked one out himself and walked away with it. A little while later, I saw him play a live show. He was wearing the strap.
Years passed. Then I saw that Marcus had a residency at the Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles. I decided to surprise him.
I designed three custom straps specifically for him — dark brown, light brown, and black — each built around a silver buckle with hand-stitched thread all the way around. I showed up to the show, approached his bass tech, got introduced to his wife, and showed her the straps. She loved them immediately. She said: let's go give these to Marcus right now.
I walked into the green room with her and handed them over.
Marcus looked at the straps, then looked at me and said: "Those are the most beautiful straps I've ever seen in my life. I can't believe you made these for me. Thank you so much."
Then he studied my face and said: "You look familiar — we met before." I'd cut my hair since Bass Boot Camp. He laughed and said: "I remember your face a little bit, but what I really remember is your logo. The LK — I'll never forget that."
Since that night at the Catalina, Marcus has performed with LK Straps on stage around the world. Every single one was made by hand, in Los Angeles, from repurposed leather.
Michael League
Michael League Founder and bassist of Snarky Puppy. Grammy Award-winning musician and composer.
I knew exactly what I was doing when I walked into that Snarky Puppy show in New York City.
I'd made a few straps specifically for Michael, packed them up, and went to the show with one goal: get them into his hands. After the set, there was a meet and greet. I waited, and when my moment came I didn't hesitate. I basically put the straps directly in his face and said: my name is Lior, I make custom handmade leather straps, I made these especially for you, and I'd be honored if you'd take a look.
He looked at them for about one second.
"I love these. I want these. Tell me what I need to do."
I told him he didn't need to do anything. They were a gift. If he loved them, we'd talk later.
He loved them. We talked.
What followed became one of the most meaningful artist relationships in LK Straps history. Michael didn't just wear the straps — he built a system around them. He now has roughly 20 LK Straps, one for every bass he owns, each one matched specifically to that instrument. Red Fender Precision? Distressed brown strap with a red LK logo. Gold bass? Brown strap with a gold LK. Every bass in his collection has its own strap, and every strap is made to match.
The Michael League artist model is now one of the best-selling LK Straps designs in the world — bought by musicians across the globe who want what Michael plays.
Tim Lefebvre
Tim Lefebvre Bassist on David Bowie's Blackstar. Tedeschi Trucks Band. One of the most in-demand session bassists in the world.
Tim was one of the first. Before the booths, before NAMM, before the green rooms — Tim Lefebvre found LK Straps on Instagram and the connection happened fast.
We started talking about custom work and I told him what I always tell artists: I can make you anything you want. He took that seriously.
Over the years, Tim has become one of LK Straps' most dedicated collectors. I made him a strap with a John Coltrane portrait on it. A strap with the Van Halen logo. A Tedeschi Trucks Band strap. Custom fonts, custom names, custom everything — about 10 straps in total, each one built around something that meant something to him personally.
But the last one is the most significant.
Tim played bass on David Bowie's Blackstar — one of the most celebrated albums of the last decade, recorded just before Bowie's passing. To honor that legacy, I built him a custom 4" wide white leather strap with a single large black star on the front. Nothing else. No excess. Just the star, and a white LK logo underneath it.
He wears it everywhere. You can see it right here — live at the Blue Note in New York City, exactly where a strap like that belongs.
Victor Wooten
Victor Wooten Five-time Grammy winner. Widely considered one of the greatest bass players who has ever lived.
This one started not with a cold call or a chance encounter — but with a reputation.
A few years ago, LK Straps began a collaboration with Fodera, the legendary custom instrument maker based in Brooklyn, New York. Together we created the LK x Fodera strap — a limited run that sold out almost instantly.
That got people's attention.
Shortly after, Victor Wooten's management reached out. One of the greatest bass players who has ever lived had noticed what we were building. Conversations happened. And while a full artist model didn't come together — Victor was already committed to another brand, and that's completely fine — what did come out of it was something more personal.
Every time I saw Victor at NAMM, I gifted him a custom LK x Fodera strap, made specifically for him, designed to match his Fodera basses. The strap is black leather with a brown Fodera butterfly detail — the warm brown tones chosen specifically to complement the natural wood grain of his signature Fodera bass. He wears them on stage with those instruments, that butterfly detail visible with every performance.
Victor and I have a genuine relationship built on mutual respect. He knows me, he knows what I do, and he knows what goes into every strap that leaves my hands.
That means everything.
Verdine White
Verdine White Bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. One of the most iconic bass players in music history.
The first time I met Verdine White was at NAMM 2019. I had some straps with me and offered him his pick — whatever he wanted. He chose a spray paint strap, one of the most unique and bold designs I had. I was thrilled. I took a photo with him and immediately sent it to my brother-in-law, a huge Earth, Wind & Fire fan. We were both losing our minds.
That was the beginning.
Years later I tracked down his bass tech — the person who tours with Verdine and works on his instruments every night. I reached out directly, told him about LK Straps, and asked if Verdine would be interested in something custom. He brought it to him. Verdine was extremely interested.
What we designed together was built specifically to his requirements. The LK x Earth, Wind & Fire strap features the band's iconic logo on the front, made to Verdine's exact specifications — a specific length, no tail, one continuous piece of leather all the way across, with a soft leather backing for comfort on stage. I made five colorways: beige, black, light brown, dark brown, and red.
Every single LK logo across all five straps was done in glitter. Glitter red. Glitter silver sparkle. Bold, bright, and unmistakable — exactly the way Earth, Wind & Fire has always done things. When Verdine turns around on stage, that LK catches the light and pops.
And when the straps were ready, Verdine White insisted on paying for them.
For a maker who started by gifting straps just to get them into the right hands, having a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer choose to pay — out of respect for the craft — meant more than any endorsement deal ever could.
Wes Borland
Wes Borland Guitarist of Limp Bizkit. One of the most visually iconic performers in rock history.
This one is personal in more ways than one.
I grew up on Limp Bizkit. Posters on my wall, every album memorized, every bass line in my head. So when I decided to reach out to someone in that world, it wasn't just a business move — it was a moment I'd been building toward without knowing it.
I found Sam Rivers on Instagram. He was playing with a plain nylon strap, and I thought: that shouldn't be happening. I sent him a message. He wrote back the same day — "that sounds dope, I love the whole repurposed leather thing, let's FaceTime."
We did. And then we kept FaceTiming. We talked about colors and designs and music and life. He invited me and my wife to come to a show as his guests. We had big plans. Sam believed in LK Straps more than almost anyone — he wanted to push it to every rock and metal musician he knew. It was way more than business. It was a genuine friendship.
During one of those calls, I asked him: do you think Wes would be interested if I made him a custom strap?
He said: go for it.
So I went deep. I studied Wes's Instagram — his aesthetic, his art, the imagery he kept coming back to. I found a series of skull paintings he'd posted that were striking and unmistakable. I printed those images and built them directly into the strap design, collaborating with his visual world rather than imposing something new onto it. I even matched the hardware to what Wes uses on stage: metal clips instead of standard strap holders, built exactly the way he plays.
The strap came out unlike anything I'd made before. Wes was blown away. He told Sam he wanted me to make straps for every guitar he owns.
Sam passed away on October 18. It was a profound loss — for everyone who knew him, and for me personally. But Wes is still using that strap live today. You can see it in these photos — on stage, in full costume, in front of arenas.
Sam made that happen. I don't forget that.
Nicole Row
Nicole Row Bassist of Panic! at the Disco and Incubus. One of the most versatile bassists in modern rock.
Some of the best relationships start with a no.
I reached out to Nicole on Instagram after seeing her play with Panic! at the Disco. I was a fan, and I thought: I want to make a strap for her. Her response was warm but immediate — she appreciated the message, but she was vegan and wouldn't use leather. Full stop.
I didn't quit. I explained exactly what repurposed leather means: not new hides, not factory waste — reclaimed material that already exists in the world, given a second life as something people actually use and love. Using repurposed leather isn't just neutral for the planet. It's actively better than buying new vegan leather, which requires its own manufacturing process and materials. You're taking something that already exists and turning it into art.
She listened. She said it made sense, but she wanted to check with someone she trusted before committing. Fair enough.
A week passed. Then she came back: "you know what, that sounds good — I'd love to do this."
From there, the collaboration grew naturally. I started by making her a few standard LK straps and shipping them over. She loved them — but she also mentioned something practical: she wears her bass extremely high, and finding straps that actually reach the right length had always been a problem. Most makers don't think about that.
I told her what I tell every artist: give me your exact measurements and I'll make it perfect. That's what I did. Four custom straps, built to her specifications, so her bass sits exactly where she needs it every night on stage.
Then she mentioned a sunflower drawing she loved — an image that meant something to her personally. We talked through the design together and built it into a strap. That became the Nicole Row LK artist model: her vision, her art, built by hand into repurposed leather.
Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish Bassist of Living Colour. One of the most creative and adventurous bass players in rock.
Some connections don't need a strategy. They just need honesty.
I first spotted Doug at NAMM — moving through the floor with his massive pedalboard, his wife by his side. She manages him, and they were clearly a team. He was on his way to a performance, but I approached anyway. Introduced myself, told him what I do, showed him the straps.
The conversation was genuine, warm, and easy from the first moment. No pitch, no pressure — just two people who love what they do talking about craft. He loved what he saw. He bought two straps on the spot and took them home.
A couple of years later we crossed paths again at Gerald Veasley's Bass Boot Camp. He came to the table, looked through everything I had, and bought three or four more. That's not a courtesy purchase — that's a player who knows what he wants and keeps coming back for it.
We're currently in talks about an official LK artist model. Doug has a vision for what he'd want to see on a strap, and when the time is right, we'll build it together. Watch this space.
Hadrien Feraud
Hadrien Feraud World-renowned bassist and composer. One of the most technically gifted players alive.
Some artist relationships are business. This one is friendship.
Hadrien and I have known each other for six or seven years now. We met at NAMM for the first time — introduced by a mutual friend. I knew exactly who he was. I showed him the straps, and he locked in immediately on what makes them different: the distressed look, the repurposed leather, the fact that every single one carries a history before it even reaches your hands.
He took one or two that day. He's still playing them.
Over the years we've built something that goes well beyond straps. We talk about gear, relationships, music, life — the full picture. He's a genuine friend, and I'm a genuine fan of his. That kind of mutual respect is rare, and we both know it.
He now has four LK Straps and has been wearing them on stage for years. When someone plays the same straps for that long without ever being asked to, that says everything.
And there's more coming. Hadrien and I are in the middle of collaborating on his official LK artist model right now — designing it, finalizing the details, making sure it's truly his. Stay tuned.
Felix Pastorius
Felix Pastorius Son of Jaco Pastorius. Bassist, drummer, and one of the most gifted young musicians carrying a legendary legacy forward.
This one started with my wife nudging me in the ribs.
We were living in New York and went to see Tim Lefebvre perform at Rockwood Music Hall with his band. I had a backpack full of custom straps with me for Tim. The show was going, the room was packed — and then my wife leaned over and quietly pointed across the crowd. Felix Pastorius was leaning against the wall by the green room, watching Tim play with a big smile on his face.
She said: you have to go talk to him.
She was right. I waited until after the show, then introduced myself. Felix was relaxed, warm, completely down to earth. I showed him some straps and told him: I don't know what strap you're using right now, but I'm sure you love it. His response stopped me cold.
"Actually, I hate it. It's extremely uncomfortable. I have no idea why I'm even using it."
I wasn't expecting that. A player of his caliber, carrying one of the most storied names in bass history — and he was walking around with a strap that made him miserable every night.
We made a plan. A few days later, my wife and I went to his apartment with a bag full of straps. He tried them all and ended up choosing 12 — one for every bass he owned. Then he said: let's do a photoshoot. He handed us his basses one by one, and my wife and I carefully carried each one down the stairs — slowly, nervously, fully aware of how much they were worth — and set them up against a wall outside. I was on cloud nine.
One of the straps he chose was something I'd made years earlier from a 1940s shaving cream ad I'd found in an old Time magazine in my apartment. Three faces, stacked one after the other. Felix took one look at it and said: that's the one.
That became his artist model. And that format — three images in a row — became a signature of LK Straps. People started ordering straps with three UFOs, three faces, three photos of their children. Even the Wes Borland strap follows the same rhythm: three skulls, one after the other. It started with a shaving cream ad from 1940 and a chance encounter at a small venue in New York City.