Milen Krastev - known as The Mad Tailor - was born and raised in Varna, Bulgaria on the Black Sea. A trained tailor, Milen started sewing at a young age as a means to supply cool shit to his friends in communist Bulgaria in the early 90s. After a seven year stint studying to be a sea captain at the Naval Academy in Varna, he moved to the United States to pursue a full-time career in Fashion. That was 1999. He received his Masters Degree in Design from the Academy of Art University in 2003. He met his wife, Jenny, in San Francisco and moved to New York City in the summer of 2008. It was here that Mad Leather was born.
“I make everything myself, with my hands.”
— MILEN KRASTEV, MASTER TAILOR & LEATHER CRAFTSMAN
RAVING MAD: What the people say…
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“This is me in a pair of boots. Milen is incredibly talented and just an awesome guy to know. The whole process was amazing.”
DAN S. - Singer/Songwriter/Musician
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“These kick-ass boots are a life time momento! After fourteen years of marriage, my wife wanted to get me something to remember the 20+ years of work shouldered as a U.S. Navy Frogman. Hailing from the mountains of Montana, and being a bit prone to wearing “shit kickers”, a set of cowboy boots was a natural fit. Speaking of a natural fit, Milen, a.k.a. the MAD TAILOR, was the perfect sculpture - the boots are custom made, fit like a glove, and the hand-crafted Frogman symbols remind me of those long hard operations in the mountains of Afghanistan and deserts of Yemen. MAD LEATHER’s process was very easy, the boots are unique and one of a kind, quite simply…..a perfect bulls-eye!!
ERIC O. - Career Navy Commander
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“People say my jacket looks like it was made for me. That’s because it was! Milen nailed the fit just by looking at me. A perfectly tailored, camel wool coat that literally dresses up anything I’m wearing. Custom fit, custom made, one of a kind quality.”
MANDY M. - Fine Art Photographer
“I’m inspired by people who do their own thing. If you like it, that is the only opinion that matters.”
— JENNY KRASTEVA, CONCEPT AND APPAREL DESIGNER
Jenny Swank Krasteva is American-born. She was raised in small town Valier, Montana and studied Fashion Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, graduating in 2007. Upon the completion of her degree, she caught the eye of New York based designer, Zac Posen, whom she worked for many years. She held various design positions for both Zac Posen and Carolina Herrera New York before being appointed VP of Design for HUGO Womenswear at Hugo Boss. She presented runway collections for the brand at both Berlin Fashion Week and Pitti Uomo in Milan, Italy. From 2015-2020, she and her team created multiple collections a year with worldwide distribution. She has had the opportunity to work with some of the best photographers, stylists, models and talent - on global advertising campaigns and fashion shows. Her love of collaborating with people who are just ‘good at what they do’ continues to inspire what she does.