Max Khansefid arrived in the United States as a high school graduate with $3,500 in his pocket. He made his first $1 million in the five years after he opened his leather apparel shop Max Leather Inc.
Starting out by trading rare and exotic leather from South Africa, Khansefid’s business ventures began in 1986 in a Santa Monica office, before he earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach.
Attracting loyal customers, the business soon expanded into the customized apparel space, moving to Culver City in 1996 and landing in its current location in 2008. Its boots and belts have ended up on filmsets and the feet of basketball stars, including Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Lamar Odom.
An industrial engineer by training, Khansefid compared making boots with making airplanes. “Manufacturing is manufacturing,” he said. “They all use the same, almost the same techniques. Same way quality controls these.”
And quality control is a big part of Max Leather’s ethos. For four decades, the brand has kept its production in-house. The shop is both a showroom, a warehouse and a factory. Customers can grab designed products off the shelf or place a customized order, made by artisans in a dedicated workspace. Khansefid has stayed on top of trends by entering trade shows and heeding what retail partners had to say.
A new generation
Now, run primarily by Max’s son Aaron Khansefid, the brand is going into new
directions.
The young heir to the multi-million business shared that while Max Leather is famous for its exotic leathers – ostrich and crocodile, among others – it will gradually pivot to more sustainable and affordable options to keep up with the times. It will also emphasize its social media presence and use new technologies, such as laser engravers and printing on leather, to experiment with new models.
“(My father) has encouraged me to take chances and new designs and new ventures,” said Aaron Khansefid. “We’re working with a few boutiques and small brands around here, we have some collaborations coming, and that’s something that I want to expand.”
Uniqueness is still the core of the business, he said. With cowboy boots making a comeback in fashion and social media magnifying the importance of personal brands, the business is looking to tap into the trends while preserving its historic character.
As for Max Khansefid, he is thinking of experimenting with his career again.
For now, nothing is set in stone. The rise of new technologies in manufacturing like artificial intelligence, however, piqued the former industrial engineer’s interest.
“Aaron’s going to be taking over here, I’m almost retired. Just thought maybe before I do that, I might try another adventure.” Max said Khansefid. “And I believe, really, whoever in America, at least whatever you do, as long as you work on it hard and with all you have, you will be successful.”
