Throughout the years, people have gained an easy lifestyle. If you would look up the way people lived in the 20th century, you would find significant differences in how they dress, work, and entertain themselves from how people do these things today. If you would look much into the past, you would find significant differences as well. Among the information of what you have discovered, you may or may not have noticed one similarity: the people’s need for wallets.

Whether it is made of leather or simply a card holder wallet for men, you know that it is a need for you to carry it at all times. It is a home for identification cards, cash, sentimental documents, and other small items that can fit inside a little soft, rectangle container. With its many designs, sizes, and materials, people have plenty of choices to get a wallet design that they want. You may have a preferred design for your wallet that you have been loyal to for many years. However, have you ever wondered how a wallet evolved the way it is today?

In this article, you will learn more about the wallet you have in your pocket right now. This essential accessory has a long history that this article will attempt to encapsulate. It will start with how ancestors have kept their money and other important items with them all the time with the help of makeshift carryable containers. More than that, you will learn more about the wallet designs that originated from those makeshift wallets. You might even have a change of heart and try a new style that may be more suited to your lifestyle. Hence, if you have been looking into a concept store that offers a range of wallet designs, this could serve as your guide to convert to different designs. Lastly, this article contains an array of tips to help you maintain the quality of your new wallet. Thus, keep reading to learn more!

A Brief History of Wallets

It would be appropriate to let you know about the word ‘wallet’ first before you dive into the rich history of what the word represents. ‘Wallet’ can be traced back to the Greek word Kibisis, which describes the sack carried by the God Hermes. It is far from what the wallet looks like today, but essentially, it gives the same service of storing meagre belongings. In some cases, especially in ancient times, it was large enough to let a person carry significant provisions that enabled them to survive the day or week.

In the 1300s, wallets started to shrink considerably, and at the same time, they had become a prestigious accessory. How common people used the wallet had shifted that instead of using it as storage for food and trinkets, it had evolved to hold coins and calling cards. It evolved in a design far from what you see in a minimalist wallet because they wore their wallets around their hips.

Wallets started getting closer to the familiar shape that you know in the mid 17th century. The introduction of paper currency happened in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and it was the reason why more durable square or rectangular shaped wallets emerged to become readily available to common people.

The flat case wallet

There was a time when wallets ranged from simple to extravagantly ornate. Elitists during the Renaissance had their wallets designed with unique stitching and crests, which they have also often displayed. Unfortunately, they are also victims of thieves as they would still attach their wallets to their hips. As a result, the wallet took a redesign.

In the mid-1800s, the flat case wallet was popular among middle-class men since they competed against each other by having the wallet stuffed with excessive cash. The wallets you see for men at this time were thick, and the minimalist wallet design was kept in the dark since it was seen as a feminine accessory.

The modern wallet

One hundred years later, the modern bi-fold wallet was born. In the same era, cards were introduced, but not as modern credit cards because they were required for different things, such as Air Travel Cards and Club Cards for restaurants. Thus, the modern wallet design needed to be larger to have enough space for adequate amounts of cash and a few usable cards.

It was in the 1950s when the wallet design kept up with the era of credit cards. The idea for a leather card holder has not surfaced yet, but they compromised the new wallet designs by slimming down the money compartment to add more room for card slots. Bi-fold and tri-fold wallets were extremely popular, especially for men who needed a sturdier and durable wallet material to fit what they needed from cash to documents.

While wallets seemed to be genderless in ancient times, people have started to invent and create designs that meet the need of men most of the time. They ensured it had a function. Women, however, turned wallets into a fashion statement since they often make their wallets match their clothing. Of course, if men used it as a storage for their smoke paraphernalia, women have made it a functional accessory that keeps their lady necessities in place.

The digital wallet

Fast forward to today, technology has made leaps and bounds to give people the convenience of digital wallets. These arrived with full force because it not only allows you to pay online but also allows you to use it as an electronic transaction in brick and mortar retail stores.

However, the world still needs to adjust and live with technology. Even with the convenience of digital wallets, it is not as accessible as what well-developed countries imagined. It does not entirely mean that you cannot slowly adapt to a minimalist lifestyle that innovators of digital pay wanted the world to have. By investing in a minimalist wallet in Singapore, you get closer to avoid developing a dependency on material things.

What are the Famous Wallet Designs?

Throughout its history, it would suffice to say that wallets have had many transformations. You might have observed how it decreased in size as it lived through the years, and how it became more secure than it was centuries ago. These are significant improvements in styles and choices that keep up with modern men’s and women’s need for it in their everyday lives.

From bi-folds to coin pocket wallets, these carryable accessories evolved in several designs. If you want to know the styles that may be suited for you, here are the famous ones that have made gained a spot in the timeless and classic category of wallet designs:

The Bi-fold

Sometimes referred to as the billfold, a bi-fold wallet is probably the most basic design that a wallet can have. It folds down the middle, so any paper currency stored within it also folds in half. It is a design that dates back to the late 1600 when paper currency was introduced.

It is a design that often gets redefined. For instance, when credit cards emerged, a bi-fold wallet contained numerous card slots on either side. It had also been made with different types of materials, but generally, it is made from leather. Designers took more advantage of redesigning the bi-fold by adding more slots for wallet-sized photographs.

Tri-fold

A variant of the traditional bi-fold, the trifold wallet can accommodate plenty of essentials in one space. The difference that makes the tri-cold stand out is that it contains two flaps that fold over. Hence, your paper currency gets folded two times instead of one.

The tri-fold has more space than your traditional bi-fold. With its additional storage space, it appears bulkier. When you place it in your pocket, it can attract attention to thieves since they would know that a bulky wallet means more stuffed cash.

Card Holder

Wallets are not exclusive in keeping money. It is also storage where you can keep your credit cards and other charging cards that you use. It has been a popular choice for several people to segregate their essentials. One example is having a coin purse separate from a fold-type wallet where they keep their paper currency. Well, it has evolved that people have more than one credit card in their wallet. Plenty enough to separate them in a sophisticated leather card holder from Singapore concept shops.

Today, people prefer to carry a card holder since they advocate the paperless and minimalist lifestyle. A single pocket card holder allows them to live up to their principles. It has enough space to keep their identification cards and calling cards for their convenience!

Cell phone case wallet

Since the emergence of smartphones, there was a significant increase in people who had access to the internet. People not only cannot leave without their wallets but also without their phones. Hence, to avoid this forgetfulness altogether, the cell phone case wallets were designed.

These types of wallets are similar to cutting down the bulk of having cash and card storage plus the need to carry another essential accessory: your phone case. What these designers did is to combine them all, and it works. Typically, it attaches to your phone like a normal phone case, but it has simple pocket features where you can keep your cards and money.

Travel wallet

For seasoned travellers, they must have experienced forgetting or, worse, losing their travel documents, such as their passports and tickets. Well, you can trust that you will have a hassle-free and stress-free trip when you invest in a travel wallet that secures all your money, cards, tickets, IDs, and passport in one place. Some also come with a stylish magnetic button to keep documents safe and secured with your essentials!

How to Take Care of Your Wallet

Whether you have a bi-fold or a minimalist wallet type, you must know how you can maintain the good condition of your wallet to extend its lifespan. While some materials need special care, such as branded leather, there are easy habits that you can develop to keep your accessory as an asset.

Here are some tips you can follow to keep your wallet clean:

Mind the surface

When you go home or go to a restaurant, one of the first things you do is to take out your wallet. If so, you must mind the surface where you land your wallet. Ensure that it is clean because the last thing you want to happen is to get them soiled.

Clean your hands regularly

Aside from being a safety precaution, clean hands matter to handle your leather card holder. Remember that a leather wallet is sensitive at the surface. Hence, even when you are careful where you place them, your hands might be the culprit of making them dirty.

Avoid over-cleaning it

No wallet maker would tell you to do a 10-step cleaning process to your minimalist wallet. When wallets were delivered to a concept store in Singapore to get sold, it was glossed with a protector to help it stay intact. Hence, simple ways of cleaning, such as dry wiping, would suffice!

Consider a wallet lining

If your phone needs a screen protector to protect it from dirt and dust that can scratch the surface, your wallet can use a simple liner to maintain its excellent condition. It will provide an interior lining that can be the skeleton of your wallet and protect it from creases!

Do not store it in vinyl containers

Some of you may not see the need to have a wallet at this time. Hence, you might think of storing them for later use or handing it down to your son. If so, do not store it inside a vinyl material. Not only would it deteriorate the overall quality of your wallet, but it may also distort its appearance due to no moisture.

Do You Want to Have a Modern-Designed Wallet? Shop at Ante Limited Today!

There is a wide variety of wallets available today, but only a few can suit your lifestyle. If athletes are reasonably picky with their shoes, you must not feel guilty in trying out a few types of wallets that meet your needs and express your individuality!

At Ante Limited, you can choose among their selection of minimalist and card holder wallet types for men. They are one of the trusted online concept stores in Singapore that can provide what you need to improve your lifestyle!

Check them out today.