Saul Swags is proudly owned and operated by Craig Vine from his home in Tawonga, Victoria – a small town at the base of Mount Bogong in North East Victoria.
Saul Swags was originally started in Tawonga in 1975 by the business’ namesake, Hal Saul. Hal got his start in the textile industry as a leather glove cutter in East Brunswick, before making cattle rugs for his father-in-law, ‘Old Walla’ in Terang. After moving his family to Tawonga in 1975, Hal began crafting his famous swags – and so Saul Swags was born.
In 2020, Hal decided it was time to hang up the needle and thread, and hand the sewing machine over to the new generation of Saul Swags, and that’s when Craig stepped in. A born and bred local, Craig’s family moved from nearby Mount Beauty out to Mountain Creek Road in Tawonga in 1979 when he was nine-years-old to a property only two blocks up from Hal’s.
Craig purchased his first Saul Swag from Hal in 1986 – and still uses it today. He’s camped and lived in his swag for continuous periods whilst working and travelling around Australia. He first approached Hal about taking over the business back in 2003, and Hal kept him in mind for well over a decade.
Hal always thought he would keep sewing until his final days, but having undergone two operations on his eyes and with his eyesight failing, he knew it was time to let someone else step in and take over. In 2018, he began teaching Craig the art of sewing his traditional Australian swag, and the business finally changed hands in July 2020.
Despite the change of hands, the swag design has remained the same, using the same materials and quality of sewing using the exact machines passed down from Hal’s father-in-law.
Saul Swags have always been proudly made in Tawonga, and will continue to be proudly made in Tawonga for years to come.
https://www.saulswags.com.au/