Hitoe Fold Aria Wallet by Hirotaka Satoh

Iron Fashion and Travel Accessories Design · 2022

Hitoe Fold Aria Wallet

by Hirotaka Satoh

A' Design Award 2022 Iron Winner in Fashion and Travel Accessories Design
Awarded April 15, 2022
CLIENT: Syrinx
Estimated Number of Design Views: 19,820
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About Hitoe Fold Aria Wallet

Hitoe Fold Aria is a thin leather wallet designed for going out without a bag. A single layer structure keeps cards and coins from overlapping, so only four or five layers of leather meet. The wallet is about 9 mm thick and weighs about 33 grams when holding five bills and five cards. A triangular hook holds the stored cards and prevents them from falling out. Bills are inserted without folding, and a shallow coin pocket allows coins to be found quickly. Italian vegetable-tanned leather is used, and production takes place in Tokyo.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: Conventional wallets get thicker because the cards and coins overlap. The solution to this is Hitoe (Single layer) structure. It prevents cards and coins from overlapping. And there are only 4-5 layers of leather overlapping each other.
Even when storing 5 bills and 5 cards, this wallet will be only 9mm-thin. It is also extremely light - only about 33g.

The triangular hook that hooks onto the cards to be stored acts as a fastener while preventing the cards from falling out unexpectedly. (Patent in process)
Each action can be completed with a minimum of actions.
Dimensions & Packaging: External dimensions: approx. w9.0 x h9.1 x d1.0 cm (include 5 bills, 5 cards, some coins), Maximum capacity: 15 bills, 15 coins, 6 cards, Product weight: approx. 33g, Leather: Italian vegetable-tanned leather, Production: Tokyo (Japan), Accessories: RFID blocking card
Tags: wallet, thin, small, light, compact, minimal
Production Technology: All parts are made by gluing two layers of ultra-thin leather together.
This technique is said to be one of the highest luxuries in leather products, making them stronger, lighter, and thinner.
The white powder on the surface leather is a wax called bloom. The more you use it, the more it rubs and penetrates, giving you a transparent look.
The interior leather is the same color leather that has not been waxed. When it's opened, it shows a beautiful gradation with the exterior.
Design Challenge: Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to take away.

This is the word of Saint-Exupery, the author of The Little Prince.
Reduce the elements as much as possible and make the rest directly related to usability. This is the perfection we aim for.

- Smoothly opening and closing.
- Easy to insert and remove the contents.
- Thinness that you'll forget it's even in your pocket.

The simple design and comfortable use of this wallet has reached the stage of perfection.
Project Duration: Finished with 710,000USD in crowdfunding in Japan in March 2021 and started selling to the public.
Operation Flow: You can easily open the wallet by bending the border of the cards and coins into a dogleg shape. By this one action, you can access your coins, bills, and cards for quick checkout.

Just insert bills without folding them. It has high visibility and is easy to take out. It is compatible with a variety of bills, including dollars, euros, and Japanese yen.

It is easy to insert and remove cards as your fingers can go deep inside. It can hold up to six cards.

With a shallow coin pocket, you can quickly find the coin you need and quickly remove it. When the wallet is closed, the coins will not spill.
It can hold up to about 15 coins.
Research: This wallet is designed based on not only the golden ratio but also the Fibonacci sequence.
The golden ratio is a rectangle that spirally repeats a square with a Fibonacci sequence as one side.
This sequence is hidden everywhere in nature. Tree branches, number of petals, sunflower seeds.
The spiral shape that connects the vertices can be found not only in shells, typhoons, but also in the most beautiful arts such as the pyramids and the Parthenon.
Since it is deeply related to the natural order and nature of life, the golden ratio based on the Fibonacci sequence will touch the heartstrings of us.
It is not important to use the golden ratio in each element. By using the Fibonacci sequence as a ratio from details to whole, it becomes well-proportioned design which resonates in our heart.
Inspiration: This wallet was created to fulfill the wish of going out lightly without a bag.
Thin and light as air yet beautiful and original.
It was made in pursuit of minimalism, ease of use and high-capacity storage suitable for a cashless society.
Image Credits: Photo:Hirotaka Sato
Video:Hirotaka Sato
Patents: Trademark Registration (EU / China / Korea) Class 18 HITOE 1489157
Trademark Registration (JAPAN) No. 6253419 Class 18 HITOE
Trademark Registration (Taiwan) Class 18 HITOE No. 02130548
Trademark Registration (US) Class 18 HITOE 6,171,770
Design Registration (JAPAN) No. 1659078
Design registration (JAPAN) No. 1659079
Design registration (JAPAN) No. 1670259
Design Registration (China) No. 6069152
Design Registration (China) No. 6378263
Design Registration (EU / US / Korea / Singapore) DM / 207682
Design Registration (EU / US / Korea / Singapore) DM / 211734
Design Registration (Taiwan) Registering 109302094
Design Registration (Taiwan) Registering 109306945
Design Registration (Australia) 202012701 202012702
Design Registration (Australia) 202016654
Patent HITOE FOLD (JAPAN) P2019-211321