About Us

Split Lay Leather Helmets is owned and operated by Derek Rosensteel, a full time professional firefighter in Maryland who has a passion for keeping the tradition of the leather helmet alive.  Just like many people in this business, Split Lay started as a side gig fixing up and painting lids for some friends at the firehouse. In March 2021 I finished my first helmet paint job, over the next year I completed several helmet repaints and repairs for some guys at work. March 2022 I was persuaded into starting a business by a good friend who believed in my abilities. I played it off at first and humored him making an Instagram & Facebook account for my work under the name "Split Lay Leather Helmets". I slowly gained followers and and support from many people. As followers came in so did additional customers and I value everyone who decided to send in their helmet for work allowing me to post the finished products and keep the followers/customers "wheel" turning. After many helmets, some trial & error, and a lot of time put in I was able to keep sending out great looking helmets and see a lot of happy customers. The work put in and the art of learning the craft on my own has been invaluable to me as the work ethic and desire to do better and learn has caught the eyes of a few of the "Big Guys" in the Helmet world. After a few busy months of thought and many personal events along the way I decided to pull the trigger on going all in and forming an LLC. As of September 2022 we are officially known as: Split Lay Leather Helmets, LLC. There is many good things to come and big announcements in the works at the moment. We look forward to continuing growth and your support!