Here is a working design of a minimalist wallet I made.

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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I have been looking for a wallet design with specific needs which I believe most of us have today.

A few basic needs..

Must be able to hold all three. Coins, Cash and Cards “comfortably”

World is moving cashless. But there’s always a need to carry coins and cash in Singapore. There are plenty of local businesses accepting only cash. Probably this will continue for at least the next 5–6 years.

Stop Pocket Bulk

There are ways to optimise and keep the wallet slim. I don’t need so many card slots and big size wallets.

Coins must not get stuck inside

This is so annoying when coins fall through and we struggle to get them out of the pouch and end up dropping them all over.

Can hold cash with single fold

Most minimalist wallets are made too small and you have to fold the notes twice to fit in. Makes it hard to take out, count, sort and arrange those creased notes. Even the shopkeepers don’t like you handing them multi-folded notes which they have to straighten, count and sort again.

No bi-fold wallet with zips, many pockets and machine stitches.

The goal was to find a balance among simple design, slim wallet and fits everyday necessities.

Some good wallets in the market solve a few problems, but lacks in certain aspects. For example, Port Wallet from Craft & Lore is good for holding cards, but cash has to be folded twice, and there is no coin pouch. There are some models from Bellroy, still lacking in some needs. Finally we end up carrying multiple wallet types for different reasons or you have loose cash and coins running all over in our pockets.

So I decided to design and make one myself.

Aa a software architect by profession and having no prior experience in leather work, I spent about 2 months learning to craft. Bought the tools and materials, iterated several prototypes and tested. Didn’t work well in the beginning. Eventually, after various attempts I got one that works the best for my use. I call it The Base Wallet and have been using it for 3–4 months happily and I have a group of friends who are happy with the results too!

Here is the Base Wallet.

In that slim wallet, surprisingly now I can carry many things.

Credit Card + ATM + Travel — All in one (I use POSB Everyday Card) Office Access Card IC Driver’s License Some Cash (SGD 50s and 10s) — note that SGD 50 is 7.5cm wide! Coins

Here is the sketch

Front

Frequently used cards go here. Normally my office access card and POSB Everyday card.

Back

This is the interesting part. Notes can be easily pushed out or tapped in without opening the flap. You can also push a little and take out single notes from a bunch.

There is an inner pocket for less used cards. I keep my IC and driver’s license here which I must carry but not needed everyday.

Coin pouch is positioned at the top.

Coin pouch layout

The coin pouch layout is fixed only half way to prevent the coins from falling through to the bottom and getting stuck. It is easy to slide out and put in.

Simplicity and quality material

All materials used are of high quality. The process of making the wallet may look simpler, but it requires some skills to put them together and stitch.