There was a time when the subtle flex was owning a simple COMME des GARÇONS wallet. The half-zip and full-zip leather wallets symbolized a moment that streetwear and cult Japanese fashion were nodding at each other long before the European brands even knew what Supreme was. Carrying one of the Spain-made leather wallets in either one of the subtle colorways or more out-there iterations—from bright neon leathers to patchwork patterns to embossed animal grains—was a small signifier that you cared as much about what you were putting in the pockets as much as the selvedge jeans you were wearing.
Since then, the minimal wallet has progressed, even as pant widths have expanded and more men have adopted a side bag, tote, or other high-end bag as part of of their everyday carry. Back in 2002, Thomas Marcel of OGON Design purportedly introduced one of the earliest iterations of an aluminum, RFID-blocking wallet. The slim, metallic designs were born during a trip to Sweden, when Marcel noticed that some of Stockholm’s hippest citizens were carrying their cards and money inside vintage metal cigarette cases rather than leather wallets.