I would never have thought I could design – until I had to actually do it. Here’s how it happened.
While I was texting and waiting in line for the best coffee in town when the inevitable happened. When trying to pay for my order, I dropped my iPhone. It smashed. I blame it on how inconvenient it was to dig for change in my wallet, while at the same time keep the phone in hand.
The tragedy however, prompted me to search for an easier, more convenient way to keep and store my essentials. However, none of those wallet and phone case hybrids I could find were perfect. Most designs just incorporated a few slots to a hard shell case. They were an unsightly mix of flaps and buttons. Even the phone stored inside could be scratched by the cards pressed against it.
What I really want is that it feels and looks like a traditional wallet, but is certainly much more than that. So I decided to create one myself. I started off with an idea of using a wallet as a base. Then I extended the function of it with a soft and elastic fabric to fit the iPhone 5. This actually set me on the right path.
The next thing I found is that most of wallet+case designs totally miss out the slots dedicating to small items such as a handy SIM eject pin, an extra SIM card and even a door key. It will be nice if I could cater these easy-to-miss items in my wallet.
When it came to the choice of material for the outer shell, I am looking for a type of leather with a soft, velvety surface similar to suede, but far more durable. It has to be "nubuck", which is some of the most expensive leather to purchase. If you are familiar with the Timberland shoes, you know what I'm talking about. Finally I need the most reliable zipper to wrap up the wallet construction. One zipper gone wrong can render an entire wallet unusable. Thus, YKK Japan is second to none.
The pursuit of perfection was not easy. It took innumerable drafts and notes, before I could come up with the design that sets it apart from others. I am now confident enough to say that my design is ready for you. It will definitely be something that you can be proud of having a hand, and in bringing to production.
Risks and challenges
All our materials have been sourced through multiple vendors. If any of the materials is unavailable or cannot be delivered on time, we will switch to a different source. This might affect our delivery date, but not extensively. We have located backup sources for all our materials to prevent this risk.
Genuine premium quality leather used for CAZLET may vary slightly in color from one batch to another. Thus the look of CAZLET may differ slightly, but this is an inevitable trait of genuine premium quality leather.
We are confident of keeping to our shipping schedule. However, should there be any unforeseen delays during distribution, we will always be transparent and inform our backers of our remedial actions.
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Funding period
- (50 days)