Nearby, Janos Papai was pushing a hulking, ancient-looking machine over another scrap of bleached alligator, stitching on a zipper. Mr. O’Hara, 39, is a leather craftsman whose exclusive custom creations range from $1,800 pickleball racket covers to purple ombre McLaren racing car seats. Mr. Papai, 68, is his mentor. The two men met 15 years ago, when Mr. O’Hara was a junior employee just starting his career, and Mr. Papai was a factory owner in the garment district making leather fashions for designers like Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs. Mr. O’Hara began hanging around Mr. Papai’s factory, asking the veteran craftsman questions and watching him work.

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Persons: Evan O’Hara, Janos Papai, O’Hara, Papai, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Papai’s Organizations: McLaren Locations: Chinatown