
Social Products Award 2025 Social Products Prize
This is Japan's first award system that highlights excellent "social products" that contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, evaluating both their social and commercial value.



The Hitoe® Fold series will be updated with new specifications to commemorate its 5th anniversary in 2025.
Details of the improvements can be found at the following link.
New Aria & Less – Slimmer, More Beautiful
With this update, the current model is available at a special price while supplies last.
The release date for the new model is yet to be determined.
"Aria" — Italian for "air," and a beautifully melodic solo song.
As the name suggests, this wallet is so light, thin, and beautiful that you'll forget it's even there.
“Monocromo” means “monochrome” in Italian.
The outer leather features a textured white grain, while the interior is finished in smooth black—creating a striking two-tone contrast.
This patented technology uses the card itself as the fastener, a completely new concept. It eliminates the need for any metal fittings, resulting in a thin, flat design. Since the wallet won't open if the card is opened incorrectly, there's no worry of coins spilling out.
The "Hitoe® structure" allows you to arrange cards, coins, and banknotes without overlapping them, achieving an astonishingly thin design without compromising storage capacity. The overlapping of leather is also limited to a maximum of five layers.
Even with 10 banknotes, 10 coins, and 6 cards stored inside, the thickness is only 12mm.
"Double-faced-jitate" is a technique that uses two pieces of leather bonded together to create a smooth finish that resembles a single piece of leather. This technique, which combines durability and elegance, embodies the exquisite and skilled craftsmanship of artisans.
Inserting and removing cards is always smooth, yet they are less likely to accidentally fall out.
"Perfection is the state in which it cannot be further refined." — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry <br> Through sophisticated design and exquisite craftsmanship, we have pursued thinness, lightness, and functional beauty.
The beautiful harmony of the natural world, as depicted by the Fibonacci sequence, has been incorporated into the proportions of this wallet.
Each time you pick it up, you'll feel its harmonious beauty resonate deeply within your heart.
Delicate stitching, carefully polished leather edges, and thin lines along the rim.
The aesthetic sensibility evident in the details gives this wallet a profound presence.
The leather pieces were sewn together on the outside, minimizing overlap.
These details are faithful to the ideal we are striving for.
There are no metal fittings or flaps. It's a simple design that just uses leather to hold everything in place. Because there's nothing extra to it, it won't snag on anything, and you can carry it smartly wherever you go.
No metal parts were used, and the stitching was placed in locations that are less likely to wear out.
The easily damaged corners are reinforced with extra layers of leather to improve durability.
Furthermore, the seams are extremely thin, making it less likely to lose its shape even when placed in a pocket.
Simply bend your wallet into a "V" shape. You can instantly take out both banknotes and cards.
Paying at the register is smooth and smart.
Banknotes can be stored as they are. They won't get creased, and you can use vending machines and self-checkout machines smoothly.
The bill holder section can store cards you don't use often. It doesn't affect the opening and closing of the wallet, and it's just as easy to take them out.
The coin pocket features a simple design without zippers or snaps. Its shallow pocket and short flap make it easy to access and prevent coins from spilling out. It has a storage capacity of 15 coins (999 yen) or more.
Surprisingly, many currencies around the world are larger than Japan’s ¥10,000 bill or ¥500 coin.
This wallet accommodates most of them, making it comfortable to use even when traveling abroad.
It's so thin you'll forget you even have it in your pocket.
Bring minimalist choices into your daily life that will lighten your spirit as well.
Monocromo (Monocromo) means “monochrome” in Italian.
It features a striking contrast between white grained leather on the outside and smooth black leather on the inside.
The outer leather is made from Nordic single-butt (back to waist) cowhide. After white tanning, it is dyed with aniline dye and finished with a pigment coating. Resistant to scratches, stains, and water, it barely ages, allowing it to retain its original appearance for a long time.
Single-butt leather is the densest and finest-grained part of the hide, producing a uniform and beautiful grain when embossed.
LWG (Leather Working Group) Gold environmental certification.
Although this leather is resistant to scratches, stains, and water, wipe it dry immediately if it gets wet, and regularly remove dust from the surface with a soft cloth. For more details, please refer to here.

Monocromo (Monocromo)
* Please note that the actual color may differ slightly from the displayed color due to differences in monitor environments, production lots, and other factors.
The Hitoe® Fold series has received 20+ awards and selections in Japan and abroad, including the iF DESIGN AWARD (Germany), the Red Dot Design Award (Germany), the Chicago Good Design Award (USA) and the German Design Awards (Germany), and was named an IDEA (USA) Finalist. It has been highly praised for its minimalist design and comfortable usability.

This is Japan's first award system that highlights excellent "social products" that contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, evaluating both their social and commercial value.

This international design award, originating in Paris, France, covers a wide range of fields such as architecture, interiors, and products, and evaluates innovation and beauty.

This is one of the world's largest international design competitions held in Italy. It selects products with excellent design and technological innovation.

This is a globally prestigious design award based in Hanover, Germany, presented to products with excellent design quality.

This international design award held in Germany recognizes excellent design from multiple perspectives, including innovation, functionality, and quality.

This international creative award held in London emphasizes originality and expressiveness, recognizing excellent works from around the world.

This international design award held in Los Angeles, USA, showcases innovative and excellent designs to the world.

This international product design award from New York recognizes excellent product design and user experience.

This international award recognizes excellent designs worldwide, evaluating creativity and design perfection.

This international design award honors excellent European product designs, recognizing products that combine functionality and beauty.

This international design award, representing Korea, recognizes excellent designs that combine creativity, practicality, and innovation.

This award showcases products and services with unique Japanese charm and hospitality both domestically and internationally.

The IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) is an international design award organized by the IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America). It is evaluated from multiple perspectives, including innovation, user experience, and contribution to society.

This is a globally prestigious design award based in Hanover, Germany, presented to products with excellent design quality.

This is a historic international design award organized by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum, continuing since 1950, which showcases excellent industrial designs to the world.

A globally prestigious design award organized by the German Design Council, which was founded in 1953.

This international design award is organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre. It evaluates excellent designs from an Asian perspective and recognizes the social and commercial value of design.

This award showcases products and services with unique Japanese charm and hospitality both domestically and internationally.

This award showcases products and services with unique Japanese charm and hospitality both domestically and internationally.

This award recognizes particularly outstanding challenges among over 10,000 projects implemented on the crowdfunding service CAMPFIRE.
From June 2021 to February 2025, the Hitoe® Fold series achieved the remarkable feat of sweeping all the top three spots in Japan for crowdfunding totals raised for bifold wallets. (*Based on our own research)









Opening and closing the wallet smoothly is easier if you follow these steps.
【Opening】Bend the seam between the coin pocket and card pocket into a "V" shape, and the inner hook will naturally disengage. There is no need to touch the inner hook directly.
【Closing】While lightly holding the top, bend it into a "V" shape in the same way, and the inner hook will naturally catch on the card.
This is because the inner hook is hooked on the outside of the wallet. Please make sure to hook it only on the cards you are storing.

The card pocket is intentionally designed to be slightly tight so that it does not become too loose, which may make it feel tight at first. Over time, it will gradually adapt to your usage and become a perfect fit, making cards easier to take out.
If it is still too tight, try taking one fewer card out and putting it back in several times to break in the leather before using it.
When the wallet is closed, the inner hook catches the cards, so they will not fall out.
Even when open, the cards are less likely to fall out because of the non-slip treatment.
The Hitoe® Fold Aria and Hitoe® Fold Less, with a slip-resistant design (Patent No. 7922958), are even less likely to fall out.
Please note that when the wallet is laid flat horizontally, the non-slip treatment is less effective, as shown in the video.
The wallet has a cover that prevents coins from spilling out, so they will not spill out during normal use. As the leather breaks in, it will become even more secure.
Please note that because this wallet has a vertical design, coins are more likely to spill out if you open it horizontally like a typical bifold wallet.
When putting the wallet in your pocket, store it so that the coin pocket is vertical to reduce the sound of the coins. This also makes the coins automatically align more easily.
You can rest assured that if you turn the wallet upside down, the inner hook will not disengage, and the wallet will not open.
The front can be identified as follows (for right-handed users).
Please choose based on the hand you use to handle money and cards.
Recent magnetic stripes have strong magnetic resistance, so there is no problem stacking them. It also has no effect on IC chips even when stacked.
However, older magnetic cards may have weakened magnetism, so as a precaution, we recommend storing them in a different direction so that the magnetic stripes do not overlap.
The Hitoe® Fold series pursues not only its slimness when stored, but also its compact vertical and horizontal dimensions. We have prepared materials comparing the storage conditions and external dimensions of representative slim wallets and mini wallets.
View "Comparison of stored sizes of slim wallets and mini wallets"
| Product Name | Hitoe® Fold | Hitoe® Fold Aria | Hitoe® Fold Less |
| Construction |
Single-piece construction Thick leather with no lining |
Double-faced-style construction The ultimate luxury in leather products, joining thin leather pieces |
|
|
Prevents cards from falling out Slipless |
△ | ◯ | |
| Dimensions | W86 × H89 mm | W86 × H91 mm | W86 × H91 mm |
| Weight | 36 g | 30 g | 29 g |
| Thickness (thickest part) |
6 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 |
| Max Capacity |
6 -7 cards 20 coins 15 banknotes |
6 cards 20 coins 15 banknotes |
3 cards 15 coins 15 banknotes |
* Card counts assume non-embossed cards.
* Hitoe® Fold can hold 7 cards once the leather has broken in.
Designer: Hirotaka Sato
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