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What do Lance Armstrong and I have in common... I mean besides an affinity for yellow? We're both in Fast Company this month! What?! Yes, byrd & belle is in Fast Company! Click here to view the article online.
I'm happy to be there and happy to be in good company. See that clock on the wall? That is from Keith Moore of Pilot Design who also happens to be from Minneapolis. Keith and I are meeting for coffee later this week to discuss our good fortune... I'm not sure if Lance will be there.
Long awaited, much requested... my design for the iphone wallet launched today. You can find it available in three different wool colors on www.byrdandbelle.com.
This little case has been in the works for quite some time. I had gotten requests for a card slot on my iphone case many times but I held off on adding a pocket to that design as it felt like... well, I'd just be adding a pocket. Instead, I wanted to do something that felt like a complete thought.
From a design perpective, this is about a simple as it gets but it took some time to get here. I started making prototypes early last summer and handed them off to people (mostly men) to test. I went through a few rounds testing different leather, different thread, different sizes and stitching. Here's a small pile of the prototypes...
When I had all the kinks nearly worked out, I made one for myself and took it on our trip to Seattle. Now, I'm not much for wallets and up until this point, I wouldn't have thought that I would choose to carry my phone and my cards together but since that trip, I'm kind of in love with this case for 3 specific reasons.
1. The way it feels in my hand: There is a weight to it that is very pleasing. It is compact and feels put together. The leather pockets on each side are made from a single peice of leather that wraps around the bottom. It does much the same thing the leather patch on the bottom of my laptop sleeve does by giving you a comfortabe place to hold it.
2. The way it works: Everything is open for quick access to my phone and the cards but the fit of the case is so perfect that I can hold the case upside down and my iphone doesn't fall out. I can throw it in my bag and the thick wool felt protects it from everything else floating around in there.
3. The way it looks: One smaller rectangle efficiently stitched on top of one larger rectangle. Contrasting materials of felt and leather. Clean & simple.
Thanks for stopping by. Back to work...
