$133

"After a bit of a mix-up with the USPS, I am now in possession of the sexiest wallet I've ever held in my hands. I can not believe the level of craftsmanship and the attention to detail (especially love the mid section of the interior)! I can not wait to pull it out at a bar and make my friends jealous. The only issue is that the bartender will think I'm loaded with cash to have such a fine piece of leather!

Can't wait to hear about the new things to come in the future from you and your company. Only great things I'm sure.

Very impressed in Brooklyn,
J

Jeremy Keim, Account Executive

"It was grey, and foggy, the day she got the package.

I remember exactly what she was wearing that day, too: a slim gauzy tank top over a full skirt, ballet flats so casual they looked almost sloppy--but then, that was her whole point of existence, this occasional contradiction in style and philosophy.
Her dog gamboled idiotically next to her as she put her key into her mailbox and bent down to peek into it. She did a little jig then, looking just as awkward as her dog, and I knew it had come.
She pulled a ratty-looking package out of the mailbox, handling it carefully, so as not to damage it more, and looked at me, eyes gleaming. "I got it," she said, and rushed to the elevator to press impatiently at the "up" button.
On the ride up, she turned the envelope over and over, tucking the rest of the mail under her arm. She stroked the postage mark and whispered, "Canada." I knew she'd been there, and loved it, and wondered if what it was she longed for there.
In our apartment now, dog lapping noisily at its water, she put out one manicured hand and pushed everything on the kitchen table to one side. She dropped the mail on the floor and placed the package in the center of a clear space. She slit it open with a pair of sharp shears, delaying the moment, and carefully laid the package open, until the black box inside it lay exposed among the bubbled sides of the envelope. "Oh," she said, and lifted the lid off the box.

"Oh," she said again. "Canada."

Yi Shun Lai, Freelance writer (and former J. Peterman writer)

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THE DETAILS

The Vagabond, a wallet for the man overcome with that terrible affliction, wanderlust.  Chronic travelers tend to not carry many possessions and the ones they do have are terribly precious.  The Vagabond was designed to secure and protect them.

The Layout

So, what can it fit?  This wallet can carry 8 cards, a passport, and multiple currencies – your basic traveling gear.  But, what else?  It can also zip perfectly around a pocket-sized Moleskine journal.  No more plastic bags when you are worried about getting your Moleskine rained on.  The innovative diagonal card slots make for easy organization of the cards that you use most often.  Depending on whether you are right or left handed, you can place your most commonly used cards on the lower half of your most dominant side.

The Leather

The dark, exterior leather is one we call, “Brigand”.  Brigand is our leather with the highest wax and oil content, making it completely water-proof.  Try it out.  When you receive your Vagabond, let it be splashed or even rained on!  This leather is truly incredible – worthy of being towed through the deepest rain forest or packed through the outback.  It is worth noting, however, that while the exterior leather is indeed water-proof, the enclosing zipper is not.  So, don’t get any funny ideas.  Even though many of our clients become really attached to their wallets, you don’t need to bring it skinny-dipping.

On the interior is another one of our favorite leathers, Kestrel.  Some clients will recognize its previous appearance in Raptured.  Strong with a highly visible grain, we decided to keep it au naturelle  in color with minimal amounts of pigment.

The Lining

As with all Braithwaite’s, we opt for only strong, natural textiles.  The lining is a combination of two silks: a refined charmeuse and a coarse tussah.  The charmeuse is a favorite in all of our wallets for creating smooth and slick linings.  You will notice it when sliding your cards in or out of their slots, it feels like subtle ball-bearings helping your card remove itself.  The Tussah is employed at the point of most wear, right in that center crease.  Regardless of whether you use the left or right side most prominently, you will definitely be wearing out the center.  Tussah is a heavy silk created by wild, not domesticated, silk worms.  It doesn’t take to dying very readily so it is only available in its natural color.  Like our leathers, it ages with time and use.

The Zipper

For those who know the zipper business, there is only one company who is pre-eminent, the best choice for Braithwaite: YKK.  While there are tons of other zipper companies, none of them have as strong as reputation as YKK.  I even met with other zipper manufacturers at the N. America’s largest fashion tradeshow.  They all compared themselves as being “similar” to YKK but none of them produced a product that beats YKK.


YKK Brass Zipper #4.5 with custom leather zipper-pull.

The Thread

The Vagabond is one of the three wallets in our new series.  For this series, we decided to try something new: sewing the whole wallet with bonded KevlarTM thread.  For those unfamiliar with the properties of KevlarTM, it is the bullet-proofing in a bullet-proof vest.  One thread has the ability to hold 35 lbs. without breaking.  As such, we had to give special instructions to our manufacturing team not to try and break the thread with their hands because the thread will cut them!

THE WALLET FOR YOU?

The Vagabond was designed for the man for whom wanderlust isn't an affliction, but a choice. He travels for pleasure, or for business, or to ensure he that is always living on his edge. This wallet can be carried as his every day companion or it can be left in waiting; pre-packed with a passport, frequent flier cards, and miscellaneous foreign currency; ready to be picked up on your way out the front door.