Erik Christopher DeMelo is an American Industrial Designer best known for his work in the leather craft industry. Erik was born in New York City on February 4, 1984, he worked in the kitchenware industry at Lifetime Brands before joining the family business with his wife, Hao-Wen Chen in Taiwan. The brand, Ivan Leathercraft, is an industry recognized company that provides leather, craft kits, hand tools, buckles, conchos, hardware, leather dyes and machinery to leather crafters worldwide.
Erik Christopher DeMelo was born in Queens, New York, on February 4, 1984, the first of three siblings. His parents Brenda and Gabriel DeMelo are Russian-German and Portuguese decedents. At the age of 16, Erik attended Cooper Union Pre-College Mechanical Engineering program to seek after his dream of becoming an engineer.
Erik is known for his engineering sense, finding inspiration in “universal man"and artists like Leonardo da Vinci, while having a passion for both utility and modern designs. He went on to attend Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied Industrial design for four years. After graduating in 2006, he took a design job at Nemo Equipment.
In 2005, while working for AgaMatrix, Erik received his first utility patent for “Blood Glucose Monitor Vial For Test Strips”. In 2015, Erik was awarded a design patent for his work in “Cutting Press” design. Following this recognition, he received a Taiwan patent for the same design. Then in 2016, Erik received design patents for “Leather Imprinting Machine” from the USA, Taiwan and China. This design focused on combining tasks like cutting leather, stamp designs and setting hardware into one simple, elegant machine. This design became the Silver Award winner in A’ Design Award and Competition Prosumer Products, Tools, and Machinery Design Category in 2016-2017.
W* Directory is a curated online platform showcasing the world’s most recognized entities. Our mission is to connect award–winning professionals with high–intent buyers, media, and partners through a transparent, merit–based system.
Every listing in the World Top Companies Directory is the result of rigorous, merit–based verification, ensuring that only the best and most innovative entities are featured. We provide instant visual trust signals, like verified badges and certificates, to empower decision–makers and streamline the discovery process.
Whether you are searching for top–tier designers, architects, or firms, W* is your gateway to industry excellence. Experience the power of verified recognition and make confident, informed decisions with good design, innovation and technology.
Request elite consultancy from our list of top companies worldwide. Our bespoke service connects you with top-tier, award-winning experts for a comprehensive project consultation. Simply submit your brief to receive competitive quotations tailored to your needs.
Get Consultancy
Unlock Exclusive Access to Elite, Award-Winning Experts and Companies
At World Top Companies, we connect you only with the very best companies — designers, agencies, and brands that have been rigorously selected through a blind peer-review process by a distinguished grand jury. Every provider in our network is an award-winning, merit-based Companies, ensuring that when you work with us, you are collaborating with industry leaders who set the standard for excellence.
Before You Get Started:
To access our tailored matchmaking service, a one-time preliminary consultancy service fee applies. This fee covers a comprehensive, white-glove process designed to save you time and deliver results:
In-Depth Brief Review: We contact you and carefully examine your project details to fully understand your needs.
Expert Matchmaking: Our team then communicates your brief to only those top-tier solution providers whose proven expertise aligns with your project.
Competitive Pricing: We collect detailed, competitive quotations from these elite providers, informing them that you are a serious customer.
Direct Proposal Delivery: You receive the best-fit proposal directly in your inbox within 14 days.
Optional Project Oversight: Additional oversight services are available at a supplementary cost if needed.
By investing in our service, you’re ensuring that your project is handled by the best the industry has to offer—no pay-to-play listings, only a network built on merit and proven excellence.
Project Brief Submission
Tell us about your project so we can connect you with elite, award-winning experts and companies.
W* Important Disclaimer & Notes
Please note that while we list a wide range of elite providers on World Top Companies, none of the featured companies are obligated to work with you or provide a price quotation. It is important to remember and note some of the companies listed at World Top Companies are solely listed for media discovery purposes, and represent extremely big and very important brands, leading agencies, star-architects and top-designers worldwide. They are listed here because they have been awarded with the W* Recognition, but they are not looking for clients. Remember, each provider in World Top Companies is an independently operated, award-winning expert companies. Their inclusion reflects their proven excellence and our commitment to quality—however, they are not bound to respond to every inquiry.
In addition, some providers may command substantial budgets, occasionally exceeding six and seven figures, in line with the world-class premium quality of their services. If you are uncertain whether this level of investment aligns with your needs, please feel free to contact us for free for personalized advice and guidance. We are happy to help you and use this as an opportunity to create awareness for smaller agencies and brands, as well as connect you with inspiring young designers which may match your caliber, and indeed bring exceptional fresh blood creativity. Likewise, if you are a media member and wish to cover any of the laureates, make sure to visit our newsrooms and newswire, we will provide you with extensive press kits, press releases and high resolution images, with ready to use media licenses, it is an honour for us to promote these excellent companies who help make the world a better place with their superior products and projects that benefit and advance society.
Our goal is to connect you with industry leaders who set the standard for excellence. We appreciate the high caliber of our partners and encourage you to reach out so we can help you find the perfect match for your project, be it for media inquiries or for commercial projects.
Unlock Elite Access
Before you can submit your project brief, please complete the one-time service fee of 2449.95 EUR. This non-refundable fee covers our full, white-glove process which includes:
A detailed review of your project brief.
Direct communication with our curated network of award-winning experts.
Collection and forwarding of competitive price quotations.
Optional project oversight services (available at an additional cost).
Once your payment is confirmed, you can tell us all about your project. We will issue a formal invoice and assign you a dedicated project manager shortly after. Additional terms apply at A' Design Awards website, where you would be redirected to complete the payment.
For Free Consultancy
Use the A′ Design Awards contact form. A′ Design Award takes care of free requests—sponsoring and covering the cost of reviewing these free inquiries which takes time and man-hours to read and act-on. We will review your request for free and provide you with an honest reply. No credit card required. No purchase necessary.
When making your contact for design consultancy request, please provide your full name, email address, phone number, company/organization name, and a brief description of your project.
When you click "I Understand", you will be redirected to the A′ Design Awards contact page where you can fill out the form. You will be redirected to a new page.
Get Listed at W*
Professional Edition
Pro Entry
No Winner Fees
Comprehensive A’ Design Prize Package (Trophy, Yearbook, Certificate, Gala Night, PR Services)
Designed to enhance international exposure and generate meaningful business opportunities.
Ideal for enterprises, agencies, professionals, governments, and NGOs.
Assessed via rigorous, peer-reviewed, and anonymous judging – with no contractually obliged winner fees.
Eligible Silver, Gold and Platinum laureates unlock W* Recognition.
Note: This listing is for assessment only and does not guarantee acceptance. Eligibility is limited to Silver, Gold and Platinum A' Design Award laureates.
Only Professional and Digital Editions gain direct access by default; Vision and Classic Editions may be converted upon meeting additional criteria.
