The story behind the development of the small, slim wallet Hitoe® Fold
Hitoe® Fold "The pioneer of small, thin wallets"
A masterpiece from SYRINX that is small and thin at the same time.
The new genre of "small, thin wallets" started from this wallet.
The history of the slim wallet
Based on the information and research provided by our users, we have compiled below a list of all the "thin wallets" that were released before the Hitoe ® Fold (November 2019) and that do not allow cards and coins to overlap.
| 2008.07 | Sartore Wallet (Sartore) |
| 2009.12 | Thin Wallet (Value Innovation) |
| 2017.01 | Komodo (ULYSSES) |
| 2018.06 | Hitoe® L-zip S (SYRINX) |
| 2018.11 | Piastra (Mpiu) |
| 2019.09 | Jitan (JACAJACA) |
| 2019.11 | Hitoe® Fold (SYRINX) |
All of these are characterized by their thinness.
However, at the same time, Hitoe ® Fold was the first wallet to pursue being "small."
Development Background
The development of Hitoe® Fold began in response to the voices of many users who wanted a wallet that was as thin and small as possible in this cashless era.
After much trial and error, he made a groundbreaking invention in the summer of 2019.
The "inner hook" idea uses the stored cards as fasteners.
The Hitoe® Fold is the result of taking this minimalist idea and elevating it to the pinnacle of thinness, simplicity, and ease of use.
Prototyping and development process
Prototyping began the day the idea for the inner hook was first conceived. At SYRINX, if an idea is important, we will make prototypes in-house right up to the point of filing an intellectual property application. This also has the effect of preventing the idea from leaking out while streamlining the prototyping and feedback process.
We then applied for a design registration in October 2019, filed a patent application in November, and simultaneously announced the product.
Unveiling the prototype and receiving a great response
After the product was announced, the number of hits increased dramatically. Its minimalist design resonated with many people and garnered support.
"This is the kind of wallet I've been looking for." That comment was the driving force behind taking the next step.
Crowdfunding and the COVID-19 pandemic
The crowdfunding campaign, which began in February 2020, got off to a record-breaking start, raising over 10 million yen in just three minutes.
However, due to concerns about procuring leather due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the crowdfunding campaign was closed on the 18th.
However, thanks to the generous support, we were able to raise the highest amount in Japan at the time (※) and received the CAMPFIRE Crowdfunding Award from among over 10,000 projects that year.
*As of January 7, 2025, according to our own research
The birth of a new genre: "small, thin wallets"
Thus, a new genre of "small, thin wallet" was born.
After that, we continued to launch multiple projects, and until February 2025, the Hitoe® Fold series continued to monopolize the top three (※) bi-fold wallets in terms of the amount of support they received through crowdfunding in Japan.
World-class design
The Hitoe® Fold series has won 20 awards to date, including the world's three major design awards: iF Design Award , Red Dot Award , and IDEA .
Hitoe® Fold's challenge continues
Not only is it small and thin,
Even easier to use and more beautiful
We will continue to pursue this ideal and take on new challenges.
