A Brief History of Held Gear

Held Gear was founded on a vision for a more sustainable future by artist and vegan Micah Perry, in 2007. Working on the production floor in a conveyor belting factory, in Portland, Oregon, Micah diverted short cut unused material from the landfill to craft the Held Vegan Belt. Coming from the punk and goth scene, he knew that high quality vegan-leather accessories like chokers and wrist cuffs were tough to come by.

Micah began selling his new product at local markets, and in 2008 established a retail storefront on Alberta Street, as well as an online store with the new, hip marketplace for handmade goods known as Etsy.

Including the retail front, Portland Saturday Markets, and special events for artisan and vegan vendors, Micah built a reputation for a great product having quickly sold hundreds of belts, cuffs, and collars.

Also in 2008, Micah was diagnosed with cancer. Treatment protracted for a decade, involving numerous surgeries. He persevered with the help of his community, first moving the retail shop closer to home, but ultimately closed it in 2012. The business survived online, expanding to Amazon, earning five-star reviews just like the Etsy store.

While recovering from the first round of surgeries, in 2009 Micah was introduced to Sean Ongley (that’s me) as a potential sponsor for the indie music and arts festival called No.Fest, for which I was project manager and co-director. Held gave a few units for the raffle, I ended up winning the classic black and becoming a preacher for the brand. I continued to wear that belt until 2018, when I had it replaced as a Christmas gift.

In 2016, Micah relocated to the village of Why, Arizona, recovered and regaining strength. He helped open the 3 Nations Market in the town of Ajo, AZ, where he continued to produce belts and fulfill online orders.

I visited him every winter in Why, from 2018 forward, as a pit stop during family visits. The same year, I moved from Portland, Oregon to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So when I learned he wanted to pass on the brand, I volunteered to do it.

By April 2022, I was the new owner of Held Gear. Immediately, I built this website, did not reopen the Amazon store, booked markets in Philly, and got into a fashion show. Coming out of the covid era in Philly, there was a broad sense of optimism and excitement in the air. Initial sales were very encouraging, but it was still a long way from a full time business.

The necessity to produce high quality multimedia to promote products online led me to invest in a camera and learn how to shoot product photos and models. In Portland, I was operating an online magazine called THRU, so I revived the brand to continue producing original videos.

Author Marshal McLuhan discusses fashion as media. It is an extension of the self, so it has the same quality as any medium of communication. Moreover, it is often presented to the buyer through a photograph or video. Therefore, Held Gear products are the output of a media company. This became the strategy in 2023.

Early in 2024, for personal, family-related reasons, it became necessary to move back to Arizona. I made it to Tucson in February 2025 and have been busy laying the ground work for a proper company rollout. I proudly carry on the brand with its classic product line, focused on belts, wrist cuffs, and collars. I am experimenting with new designs within that category as well as opportunities to expand into apparel.

Held Gear is the registered trade name of THRU LLC, and is now based in the heart of downtown Tucson.

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