Founded by alligator entrepreneur Lawrence Willis, Willis & Co. is bringing Black family ownership, handcrafted American exotic leather, and Southern craftsmanship to an industry dominated by established global luxury houses.
Nationwide — Lawrence Willis, a Louisiana native and longtime alligator entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Willis & Co., a Black family-owned luxury company based in Pearland, Texas. Together with his wife, Angela Willis, daughter Atia Willis Sumrall, and son-in-law Quintel Sumrall, Lawrence is building something still relatively uncommon in the luxury designer industry: a Black family-owned and family-controlled luxury house designed to be passed from one generation to the next. Rather than simply participating in an industry where Black consumers and culture have long had tremendous influence, the Willis family is positioning itself as an owner, manufacturer, brand builder, and creator of luxury products bearing its own family name.
His path into luxury fashion began long before the creation of Willis & Co. He spent years working in the alligator-skin business, developing firsthand knowledge of how premium American alligator hides are selected, handled, and prepared for high-end markets. According to the company, some of the premium skins he supplied eventually entered luxury production channels serving affluent and celebrity customers. Lawrence watched valuable raw materials move through the supply chain and emerge as expensive finished products carrying internationally recognized designer labels. That experience eventually led him to ask a pivotal question: Why continue supplying premium material for someone else’s luxury brand when his own family possessed the knowledge and experience to build one of its own?
That question became the foundation of Willis & Co., which is entering a global personal luxury goods industry operating at roughly the $400 billion scale. The company is developing handcrafted American alligator handbags and purses, wallets, belts, briefcases, computer and business bags, executive accessories, travel pieces, home furnishings, and luxury leather furniture, along with products made from buffalo leather and premium cowhide. Instead of trying to imitate traditional European luxury houses, the family is developing an identity rooted in Lawrence’s Louisiana upbringing, its Texas presence, Southern craftsmanship, American alligator, and a distinctive Western aesthetic. “I spent years learning the alligator business from the material up—how a skin is selected, what makes it exceptional and what luxury makers look for,” Lawrence said. “After watching that material become high-value products under other names, I realized our family had the knowledge to build a name of our own.”
Just as important as the products is the family behind them. Lawrence brings decades of knowledge about American alligator, exotic materials, sourcing, and the luxury supply chain, while Angela helps anchor the family values and long-term legacy of the company. Atia represents the next generation of the Willis family, and Quintel serves as a business strategist and marketing leader, helping develop the company’s branding, website, photography, digital strategy, marketing direction, customer acquisition, and plans for growth. Together, the four are turning Lawrence’s individual expertise into a multigenerational enterprise. “We are not developing a temporary product line,” Quintel said. “We are working to build a family luxury house with the ability to outlive all of us.”
The significance of Willis & Co. extends beyond encouraging consumers to “Buy Black.” The Willis family wants to demonstrate that Black ownership and world-class luxury can exist side by side, while moving farther up the economic value chain – from supplying materials and purchasing luxury products to owning the brand, controlling the customer relationship, and building the long-term enterprise. The family does not want consumers to choose Willis & Co. merely because it is Black-owned; it wants to compete for customers of every background based on craftsmanship, quality, materials, design, and authenticity. Its history also includes the family’s related business, Gators & More, which provided experience with alligator skins, exotic materials, and leather products. Lawrence’s evolution can therefore be summarized simply: He learned the material. He supplied the material. Now his family is putting its own name on the finished product.
As Willis & Co. grows, the family plans to expand its handcrafted alligator and leather collections, strengthen direct-to-consumer sales, develop retail and wholesale relationships, pursue collaborations, move further into luxury furniture and home furnishings, and build national and international recognition. For Lawrence, however, the ultimate objective goes beyond selling handbags or competing in a massive luxury market. It is about creating a family asset capable of surviving for generations. His journey began with alligator skins in Louisiana and has evolved into a Black family-controlled luxury company in Texas. In an industry filled with century-old names and multibillion-dollar corporations, Willis & Co. is betting that firsthand knowledge of the material, American craftsmanship, a distinctive cultural identity, and multigenerational Black family ownership can create a luxury name with staying power.
For more details about the brand, visit the official website at WillisWear.com
About
Willis & Co. is the luxury brand of Willis Wear LLC, a Black family-owned American company based in Pearland, Texas. Founded by Louisiana native and alligator entrepreneur Lawrence Willis, the company creates and develops handcrafted luxury products using American alligator, buffalo leather, premium cowhide, and other materials. Its product vision includes handbags, wallets, belts, business and executive accessories, travel pieces, furnishings, and luxury leather furniture.
For press inquiries, contact quinteldeshonsumrall@gmail.com or 346-550-2397