Wallets

One of my favorite projects I got to work on at Tumi was helping out with designing new wallet styles with some members of the Mens department. I was given a few basic guidelines about what type of wallet they were looking to develop (i.e. with an ID slot, etc.) and then I went to do market research on what types of wallets were being produced by trendy, up-and-coming or established brands. From this research I was able to (very roughly) sketch out some basic concepts I saw recurrently in men's wallets and small leather goods. 

You'll notice that some of these preliminary drawings feature a curved line. This is because this particular collection was to be featured in conjunction with a men's collection of larger leather goods that also have this curvature as a main design feature. Therefore it was important that I incorporated this shape into my designs. 

Working from these initial sketches I was able to make more polished drawings of the concepts that the team members were most excited about. Here are two of the best ones:

These wallet designs feature die cut card slots, as opposed to layered leather,  which gives the wallet a more elegant and elevated style. This line of wallets will come at a higher price than others, so we were definitely trying to elicit a more elegant and refined look. While this choice of cut would allow for more fraying of the leather, we have to assume that a consumer of this product is someone who clearly values his own personal style and the quality of the pieces he purchases. Thus it is safe to presuppose that the wallet would be well-looked after by any potential owner.

Next, I was able to translate my design onto Illustrator to give a more precise and to-scale picture of what would potentially be developed. Here is an example of a wallet I rendered; it's a double billfold with a center flap that holds an ID slot as well as additional card slots for the global customer:

 In the end, it appears that Tumi opted to include the card slots by layering the leather, which of course provides the customer with a sturdier wallet that is guaranteed to last for years. Here is a look at two wallets on the website featuring the curved card slots and an ID case. These wallets appear in the Monaco collection.

Photo taken from Tumi.com

Photo taken from Tumi.com

These two photos above are of the Global Center Flip ID Passcase, one photo of each side of the center flap. It's easy to see the attractiveness of this wallet to any frequent traveller as it contains more than 8 card slots as well as multiple pockets for bills, tickets, photographs or anything else you may want to keep on hand.

This next photo is a different version that comes without an ID slot and offers six card slots. It is a little slimmer but still features two bill pockets and the incredibly advanced ID Lock that is a feature unique to Tumi, protecting against identity theft.

Photo taken from Tumi.com

I have to say it has definitely been a high point of my 2016 seeing designs that I contributed to being produced and out on the market. It's a very encouraging experience and the fact that something like this can give me such satisfaction and fulfillment really reassures me that I am pursuing a career that will make me happy and take me far. Anyway enough sappy stuff, next up: women's hardware!