OBJECTIVE
The wallet is the beginning of a series of prototypes exploring leather as a material. The emphasis of this series is to establish patterns and construction methods that achieve beautiful, functional forms with as little material as possible.
ORIGINAL PROTOTYPE
This is the original prototype for the 2-Ply Wallet. The name suggests the objective of the design, to create a minimal, beautiful leather wallet with only two pieces of leather. Through this prototype, I learned about material tolerances of leather, hand stitching, leather finish, tanning processes, and common tools (industrial vs. artisanal) that are used in leatherworking. The main feature of the 2-Ply, the credit card cutouts, were tested to see if a shared compartment with cash and cards would be problematic.
PRODUCTION PROTOTYPE
Although simple in form, I consider this wallet, and leather working in general, a work in progress. In it's current iteration, the 2-Ply is made from oiled and top coated vegetable tanned leather. The stitching has progressed from a sewing awl to a more traditional two-needle saddle stitch. The saddle stitch falls in line with traditional leather construction, and creates a seam that is more consistent in appearance, stronger, easier to repair, and more aesthetically pleasing. The outer edges and credit card cutouts are burnished to a gloss finish, which seals the leather and prevents fraying.
