OVERVIEW
Introducing Aquila and Hocksalcis.
WHAT IT MEANS TO CUSTOMISE
What if, after paying top dollar to a craftsman, you realise that you only ended up customising a “normal” design wallet, such as a bifold wallet with coin pouch?
The above may sound silly but it happens often on this very basis:
“Normal” looking wallets are so recognisable that even persons who are less able to form mental images objects in the mind, can picture what a regular wallet looks like.
The above is a bifold wallet without coin pouch!
This is because the functionality of these designs are time tested over decades and the same designs are everywhere, used by every brand or no-brand for as long as wallets were invented.
It follows that an attempt to successfully customise a wallet that is entirely different yet functionally sound requires research. Hence, it is highly unlikely a product can be born entirely of original thought. Rather, the creations are likely conceived through online research.
Therefore, to customise a wallet would mean, in most cases, to take reference from other wallets.
SO WHY CUSTOMISE?
Wherein then lies the excitement of countless people who commissioned custom wallets if most of these projects but end up replicating a “normal” wallet?
It is the knowledge received from an experienced craftsman during discussions, towards the joyful end of gifting the crafted item, and the knowledge behind it, to a most beloved. It can even be a gift to oneself, to celebrate key life milestones or to celebrate the emergence from a personal life crisis.
Furthermore, standard fare branded goods from ubiquitous luxury brands have saturated the market and it seems that every other person has a branded wallet. For that matter your intended recipient of a branded wallet might already have that model of wallet!
On the other hand, a boutique custom leather craft shop has unique stories to tell, which is likely to resonate with the customer’s own life experiences. Well, you got to be quite cold if the craftsman’s story doesn’t move you a little… lolol joking!
So customise a wallet it is!
CUSTOMISABLE ELEMENTS
- Colour
- Type of leather
- Number of compartments of specific use
- Personalisation
AQUILA
First let take a look at the wallets that are done by Aquila (swipe left and right).
ESTABLISHED 1978
From the photos above (provided by Aquila), Aquila tailors shoes to gentlemen’s feet. She is a fashion brand with its own manufactory that first made its presence in 1978, supplying gents belts to well known department stores such as Robinson’s and John Little.
Aquila has since evolved to retail directly to the market, occupying a unique position as belt tailors, all while providing bespoke shoe services and custom gents bags and accessories such as crocodile bags and wallets.
At aquila they have a no nonsense approach towards their wallets, their range of wallet are all timeless design, its fairly straight forward to get a custom wallet from them, below is a swatches that you can choose the colors and patina effect you want the wallet to be in.
HOCKSALCIS
Next in line we have Hocks Alcis, Hocks Alcis has more than 10 years of leather crafting.
Competence, workmanship and confidence to deliver is honed by having been commissioned countless projects, many of which involves the use of expensive leather such as crocodile, ostrich and shell cordovan leather is concerned.
Furthermore, clients of Hocks Alcis do not merely take delight in simple projects such as minimalist cardholders and slim wallets of which most casual hobbyists can craft at home. Rather, clients of Hocks Alcis orders complex projects including briefcases, trunks, cigar cases, guitar bags etc.
The beauty lies in the amount of customization that they are able to do, pretty much everything can be customized, from the design, the colors, all the way to finer details such as creasing and thread colors. Just take a look at some of the photo samples that they have provided for our use. The sky is the limit when making a wallet with Hocks Alcis.
Keching 