Living a simple life is a hard thing to accomplish these days. Our world is always running at a million miles an hour, and all we can do is try and keep up. I like to slow down and simplify my life as often as I can. Whether that is taking the long way home on my motorcycle and kicking my phone to the curb (not literally, of course!), or slimming down my ever-growing personal property, it is a goal I strive for often these days. I have found that carrying the bare necessities with me at all times helps me fulfill my simpler lifestyle, and the Deceptively Simple Minimal Wallet has been a great product to get the job done.
About
Deceptively Simple, an Etsy store based in Los Angeles, California, lives up to its name in every way. With only one wallet (in two sizes) in its product line, this one-man operation strives to do things simply and efficiently. Each wallet is handmade in Los Angeles, California.
“I’m an architectural designer in Los Angeles who also enjoys designing products. My goal is to create items with clean lines, orthogonal shapes and simplicity. As I’ve learned through years of architectural work, simple things are always harder to achieve. I’m always trying new designs and will be adding more pieces soon.”
CONSTRUCTION & FUNCTION
The wallets are hand-stitched using vegetable-tanned harness leather in a natural color. This leather is very sturdy and stiff, so it requires a bit of time to soften and gain a patina. As always, natural veg-tanned leather picks up a nice patina around the edges. The edges are already quite dark from the laser-cutting, but with use, the wallet becomes more uniform color.
Both wallets are 100mm x75mm or 3 7/8″ X 2 7/8″, just slightly larger than a credit card. The wallet comes in two sizes: thin and thick. The thin wallet is 5mm (3/16″) and the thick wallet is 7.5mm (9/32″). The thin wallet holds three credit cards without bowing, and the thick wallet holds about five cards without bowing. Both wallets could feasibly fit double the amount, but the wallet would look distorted and the leather would need some extra time to form around the cards.
Many super-thin wallets make it hard to slide the cards in and out, especially at first, when the leather is still quite stiff. However, the Deceptively Simple wallets have small laser-cut windows on both sides that help you grip the cards with your thumbs, making them easy to access.
After several months of use, the wallets have held up very well and gained a very nice patina. The stitching is still perfect and the leather has molded to the cards and holds them snugly. I have been able to comfortably hold 7 or 8 cards in the thicker wallet without any issue.
AESTHETIC
The Deceptively Simple Wallets are pretty unique in appearance. With dark, squared edges and contrasting stitching, these wallets stand out without looking the least bit gaudy. The thick laser edges may not be for everyone, but I’m personally a fan of the way the blocky edges look, and they’ve held up well after months of wear.
The company’s logo is placed near the bottom corner, two dots in a thin rectangle. This adds even more geometric interest to the wallet. The clean lines, natural colors, and functional shape make for a solid wallet from this small operation.
CONCLUSION
The word minimalist is thrown around pretty loosely these days, but these wallets truly earn the term. If you often carry more than five cards, or like a more traditional looking wallet, this may not be for you. But if you like to carry just a few cards, even on occasion, these wallets function perfectly. They also function well as sleek business card holders that are sure to impress. So set aside that giant clunker of a wallet you have and opt for something simpler. The Deceptively Simple Minimalist Wallet is a well-priced option as a leather wallet.
UPDATE: Viro is now taking orders for the wallet to be crafted in Horween’s CHROMEXCEL for an additional $15. This sounds like a great option and should produce a very, very nice version of this wallet!
I have been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.