Coast of Normandy, France
Hitoe® Fold Aria - Etretat -
French calfskin reflecting the Etretat coast
1. Concept
Light as air and beautiful
"Aria" is an Italian word meaning "air" and referring to a lyrical solo song such as in an opera.
As its name suggests, this wallet is so light, thin, and beautiful that you'll forget it's there.
The ultimate in functional beauty
"Perfection is when you can't take anything more" -- Saint-Exupéry
Through sophisticated design and exquisite craftsmanship, we have pursued thinness, lightness, and functional beauty .
2. Technology
By combining innovative ideas with the highly skilled techniques of our craftsmen , we have pursued functional beauty to the utmost.
Newly-designed inner hook (patented)
Until now, it was common practice to use metal fasteners such as hooks and loops or magnets to fasten wallets.
The Inner Hook is a patented technology that uses the stored card itself as a fastener.
By hanging the cards in leather, we have achieved a flat design without using metal fittings, while preventing the cards from falling out.
Furthermore, the design is such that it will not come off if the front and back are mistaken, so there is no need to worry about coins spilling out.
It's an innovative idea that is thin, light, and intuitive to use .
Remarkably thin Hitoe® structure (registered design)
The Hitoe® Fold Aria is a surprisingly slim wallet with plenty of storage space.
For example , even if you store 10 bills, 10 coins, and 6 cards, the thickness is only 12 mm.
It maintains a slim profile and doesn't take up much space even when you put it in your pocket.
The more you put in a typical wallet, the thicker it becomes.
The Hitoe® structure arranges the leather layers without overlapping them, and limits the number of overlapping layers to just five, achieving both storage capacity and a slim design.
The finest unrivaled tailoring
The "Musou" style involves gluing two pieces of leather together to create one piece.
This allows for both thinness and durability .
There are no visible creases and it is as smooth as a single piece of leather.
To make this type of garment, extensive experience and skilled techniques are essential .
Slip-less design (patent pending)
Slip-less design (patent pending) .
While allowing you to smoothly insert and remove cards, it also prevents them from falling out accidentally.
3. Design
Well-balanced proportions, exquisite details, and a minimalist design without any metal fittings.
Everything comes together in harmony to create a timeless design .
Design based on the laws of nature
The design is based on the Fibonacci sequence found in nature.
Seashell spirals, typhoons, spiral galaxies...
The Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21...) is hidden throughout nature.
The golden ratio is also derived from this sequence, and it can also be found in the most beautiful art.
The Hitoe® Fold Aria also has a balanced beauty that resonates with the heart.
Attention to detail
Precise and delicate stitching, repeatedly polished leather edges, and thin lines on the edges.
We pursued beauty down to the smallest detail .
Thin details
The edges are made thinner by layering the leather and sewing it together on the outside.
You can make it smaller by rolling it inward, but the leather will overlap and become thicker.
These details are faithful to the ideal we aim for .
While pursuing thinness, we ensure that the leather is thick enough to retain its natural leather texture .
It's just sandwiched between leather.
A simple design made entirely of leather, with no metal fittings or flaps.
There are no unnecessary protrusions, so it is flat and doesn't get caught on anything.
It fits easily in your pocket and is comfortable to carry wherever you go.
Long-lasting and beautiful
With ordinary wallets, deterioration of the metal fittings and stitching is a common cause of problems.
Hitoe® Fold Aria does not use any metal fittings, and the stitching is placed to avoid bending parts that are prone to wear.
The corners, which are prone to damage, are reinforced with layered leather to improve durability.
In addition, the seam allowances are made as thin as possible, so the design is less likely to lose its shape even when placed in a pocket .
4. Usability
Excellent portability, ample storage capacity, and smooth operation .
We aimed to create the ideal mini wallet that is comfortable to use every time you use it .
Smooth payment with one action
Operating Hitoe® Fold Aria can be completed with just one movement .
Simply bend the wallet into an L shape to instantly remove coins and cards.
This minimizes cashier movements and makes payments smarter.
Leave the bill as is without folding it.
Simply insert the bill without folding it .
It is crease-resistant and can be used smoothly in vending machines and self-checkouts.
The bill holder acts as a guide, allowing you to insert and remove bills smoothly without getting caught .
Temporary cards are used to hold bills
Use a bill holder to hold cards that you don't use regularly or cards that you suddenly need.
This allows you to carry temporary cards that do not fit into the card slot.
There is no problem with opening and closing the wallet, and it is still easy to take things out.
Smooth and non-overflowing coin pocket
The coin pocket has a simple design without zippers or hooks.
The shallow pockets and short flaps make it easy to take things out and prevent spills .
Can store more than 15 coins (999 yen).
Although it is compact, it can securely store all the coins you need.
Pocket Comfort
Because this is a wallet that you will use every day, we paid particular attention to how comfortable it feels in your pocket.
It fits easily and is so light that you'll forget it's even there.
The combination of "storage capacity" and "thinness" makes it comfortable to carry every day.
A comfortable, minimalist choice for your lifestyle.
About Etretat Leather
About Etretat LeatherOrigins
Etretat, in Normandy, France, is a coastline of white limestone cliffs. The gentle light and poetic scenery of the coast has attracted artists such as Monet. This calf leather is inspired by the symphony of nature.
Tanning and Manufacturing
The raw hides of fine French bull calfs are used. After chrome-tanning, it is dyed with aniline dyes and finished with two colors of pigment to create a deep look. It is scratch and stain resistant, water repellent, and hardly ages, so you can keep the original look for a long time.
Maintenance
Although the leather is scratch, stain, and water resistant, please wipe it off immediately when it gets wet, and periodically remove dust from the surface with a soft cloth.
Colors
Limestone
Limestone chalk cliffs
Sand Beige
Sandy beach at the edge of the surf
Normandy Blue
The greyish Normandy sea
Grand Blue
An endless deep blue
Midnight
Tranquil moonlit sea
The Hitoe® Fold series of small, thin wallets have won a total of 18 awards, including the world's most prestigious iF Desing Award, Red Dot Award, Good Design®, and German Design Awards, and are highly acclaimed for their minimalist design and comfortable operation.
Awards
iF Desing Award 2023
Hitoe® Fold Less
One of the most prominent and prestigious international design awards, the Hitoe® Fold Less Design Award is presented by the Hannover Industrial Design Association in Germany and is open to industrial products from all over the world. It is one of the three major design awards in the world.
Good Design Award 2022
Hitoe® Fold Less
The world's oldest design award, presented by the Athenaeum Museum in Chicago since 1950, was established by Edgar Kaufman Jr. of MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York) along with such modern design pioneers as Charles and Ray Eames, Russell Wright, George Nelson, and Eero Saarinen. The award was established by Edgar Kaufman Jr.
It is not related to the Good Design Award in Japan, but is a globally valuable award along with the Red Dot Design Award and the iF Design Award.
German Design Awards 2023
Hitoe® Fold Less
The Hitoe® Fold Less is an international design award sponsored by the German Design Council, established in 1953. Only products that have been nominated by the German Design Council are eligible for the awards.
DFA Design for Asia Awards 2022
Hitoe® Fold Less
Established in 2003 by the Hong Kong Design Centre, this international design award recognizes outstanding design from an Asian perspective. Awards are judged and presented from four perspectives: overall design excellence, technical applicability, Asian influence, and commercial and social success.
DNA Paris Design Awards 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
The DNA Paris Design Awards are global design awards that honor the best designers in the fields of architecture, interior design, landscape design, graphic design, and product design.
Omotenashi Selection 2022
Hitoe® Fold Less
This award was established to discover and promote to the world the best Japanese products and services that are full of the spirit of Omotenashi. The award is given to products and services that are born out of consideration for the people who use them, and that have been improved upon while carrying on the traditions of the past.
A' Design Award & Competition 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This is one of the world's largest design competitions to select the best design, design concept, product or service. It is recognized worldwide as a barometer of design quality and perfection.
iF Desing Award 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
One of the most prominent and prestigious international design awards, the Hitoe® Fold Aria is a design award organized by the Hannover Industrial Design Association in Germany, which judges industrial products from all over the world. It is one of the three major design awards in the world.
Red Dot Award 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
One of the world's top three design awards and one of the most prestigious international design awards, with over 10,000 entries from companies, organizations, and designers in more than 60 countries each year. Organized by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
London International Creative Competition 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
Aimed to serve as a medium to connect talented artists with international audiences, the competition attracts artists from around the world, with juries consisting of luminaries from six disciplines (architecture, interior design, art, graphics, photography, and products) and based in London, where internationally acclaimed artists are gathered, The awards have been held annually since 2006.
IDA Design Awards 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
The IDA Design Awards were established in Los Angeles in 2007 to identify and recognize outstanding design visionaries in a wide range of fields. Comprised of five categories including architecture, interior design, product design, fashion, and graphic design, each year's awards bring together the finest entries from the world's most talented designers.
NY Product Design Awards 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
The awards, which were newly established in 2021, are organized by the International Award Associate (USA) and specialize in product design.
The awards aim to recognize outstanding product designers who enrich our daily lives.
MUSE Design Awards 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
One of the international awards programs organized by International Award Associate (USA), which aims to create new value standards in design.
The award is presented to designers who combine unparalleled creativity and technical skills, such as "The Muse".
European Product Design Award 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This design competition was created to recognize the efforts of talented international product designers. From thousands of design projects submitted from around the world, a jury will select the most beautiful, functional and innovative products.
K-DESIGN AWARD 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
An international design competition organized by DESIGNSORI, a Korean design portal. It is one of the three most prestigious design awards in Asia, along with the Golden Pin Design Award and the DFA Design for Asia Awards.
Omotenashi Selection 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This award was established with the aim of discovering and spreading excellent Japanese products and services with a spirit of hospitality to the world. The award is given to products and services that are "uniquely Japanese" and have a "unique appeal" that should be shared with the world, and are selected for their particular skills born from consideration for the people who use them, and for their ingenuity in making improvements while carrying on tradition.
Omotenashi Selection 2020
Hitoe® Fold
This award was established with the aim of discovering and promoting to the world products and services that are brimming with the spirit of excellent Japanese hospitality. The award is given to products and services that are born from the consideration of the user, and that have been improved upon while carrying on the traditions of the past.
Campfire Crowdfunding Award 2020
Hitoe® Fold
This award is given to the most outstanding project out of more than 10,000 projects on the Campfire crowdfunding site.
Crowd Funding
The Hitoe® Fold series has achieved the feat of dominating all of Japan's all-time top three places in terms of the amount of money raised by crowdfunding wallets. (*As of February 28, 2022)
2020
51,795,439 yen, 3500 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2020 -Liscio-
Achieved the highest amount of crowdfunding for a wallet in Japan
2021
78,540,000 yen, 2,480 people
Hitoe® Fold Aria -Foschia-
Achieved the highest amount of crowdfunding for wallets in Japan
Sweeps the 1st and 2nd places in Japan's history for wallet crowdfunding
55,481,020 yen, 2959 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2021 -Liscio-
Sweeps Japan's all-time top three wallet crowdfunding crowdfunding
2022
25,944,600 yen, 873 people
Hitoe® Fold Less -Foschia-
13,002,000 yen / 394 people
Hitoe® Fold Aria -Ortensia- & Hitoe® Fold Aria -Monocromo-
16,816,016 yen / 1,130 persons
Hitoe® Fold -Liscio
Q & A
Q & AQ. Are there any tips for opening and closing it?
If you are right-handed, you can use your left hand to bend the boundary between the coin pocket and the card pocket into an "U" shape, which will release the inner hook and allow the wallet to open smoothly.
To close it, lightly press the top with your right hand while bending it into an "U" shape with your left hand, and the inner hook will naturally catch on the card.
The trick is to not touch the inner hook when opening or closing it.
Q. It becomes distorted when closed.
This is caused by misusing the inner hook on the outside of the wallet. Please only hang it on the cards you want to store.
Q. Should I choose right-handed or left-handed?
If you use your right hand to insert and remove cards and coins, please select right-handed. If you use your left hand, please select left-handed. All photos and videos used in the product description are for right-handed use, and the slot for removing bills and cards is on the right side.
Q. The card pockets are too cramped
The design is tight so that the leather does not stretch more than necessary, so it may feel tight when you first start using it while the leather is still stiff. Don't worry, it will become more comfortable as you use it.
Also, if the card is difficult to insert all the way in, pressing firmly against the leather at the back of the card pocket (to the left of the card for right-handed users) will help the card to fit in more easily.
Please note that storing cards with uneven surfaces or items other than credit card size (such as point cards or medical cards) can make the bag feel cramped.
Q: Will the cards fall out?
When you close the wallet by hanging the inner hook, it won't fall out.
Even when open, the leather on the top edge of the cards will support them if the wallet is held vertically. Please note that cards will fall out easily if the wallet is placed horizontally.
The slip-less design (patent pending) of the product makes it even more difficult to fall off. For more information, please click here .
Q. Will the coins spill?
The coin pocket has a lid to prevent spills. As the leather becomes more flexible with use and the bend in the lid settles, it will become even less likely to spill.
The pocket is shallow to allow for quick removal of coins, and the size of the pocket allows the top of a 500 yen coin to be slightly visible, but it is hidden when the lid is closed.
If you open the wallet horizontally, coins may spill out. Please use it vertically.
Q. I'm bothered by the sound of coins.
If you store your coins with the coin pocket facing upright, you can prevent the coins from making noise. Also, the coins will automatically align themselves more easily, so please try it.
Q. Won't I open it upside down and spill the coins?
Don't worry, if you turn the wallet inside out, it won't bend into a "U" shape and won't open. You can also use the stitching and card placement as a reference.
<Example: Right-handed>
- The side without the stitching on the right side is the front, as the bills are taken out from the right.
- The side where the card is most visible is the right side, as the card is taken out from the right.
Q. Can the magnetic stripes of cards be stacked?
Modern magnetic stripes are highly resistant to magnetism, so there is no problem even if they are stacked. Also, IC chips are not affected by magnetism.
However, for bank cards with no expiration date, the magnetic stripe may be weakened, so we recommend stacking the cards with the magnetic stripes alternating up and down.
Hitoe® Fold Series Comparison Chart
Hitoe® Fold Series Comparison Chart| Hitoe® Fold | Hitoe® Fold | Hitoe® Fold Aria | Hitoe® Fold Less |
| Production Method | One-piece tailoring Unlined thick leather |
Fold Less The ultimate luxury in leather goods: thin leather laminated together |
|
| Prevents cards from falling out Slipless |
NG | OK | |
| Size | W86 x H89 mm | W89 × H91 mm | W89 × H89 mm |
| Weight | 36 g | 30 g | 29 g |
| Thickness (thickest part) |
7 cards 10 100-yen coins 10 banknotes when stored 13 mm |
6 cards 10 100-yen coins 10 banknotes when stored 12 mm |
3 cards 6 100-yen coins 10 banknotes when stored 9 mm |
| Maximum capacity | 7 cards 20 coins 15 banknotes |
6 cards 20 coins 15 banknotes |
3 cards 15 coins 15 banknotes |
Number of cards assumes embossless cards
specification
specificationChoose options