A few years ago at a cafe, someone stole my wallet. I went years without a proper replacement, using a Mighty Wallet, which was ingeniously lightweight but just didn’t have enough pockets for all my stuff. Finally, I got it together to do some research for a new wallet.

My priority was something not too big, but with enough slots and pockets to keep me organized. I admired a friend’s minimalist Comme des Garçons zip wallet but didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on one. So I decided to look at wallets with similar designs by Baggu, Cuyana, and Everlane — all brands with ethical production. Here’s a comparison of what I found.

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Baggu – Square Wallet

My favorite reusable bag maker offers a simple square wallet made out of smooth fine grain leather. It’s currently available in seven colors with pastels for spring, as well as ubiquitous black, but my favorite is this orange-red color called “warm red.” The zipper is brass and the zipper pull is leather. Out of all the wallets I saw, this one felt the lightest, but I didn’t bring a scale with me, so I don’t know if that’s actually true or just my perception. One thing I like about the Baggu wallet is the subtle branding with the name stamped on the inside. I also like that it’s perfectly square.

Organization: It has a section for paper currency, four cards slots, and a coin pocket with snap closure. In addition, there’s space behind the card slots and behind the coin pocket, so you could store things in those locations too. One detail that I appreciate is that the first card slot has a dip to it, which makes removing that first card a little easier.

Size: 4.3″ x 4.3″ x .8″ deep

Price: $100

Where it’s Made: Baggu makes its leather products in factories in Texas and New York City. The company says its leather is produced in an ISO 14001 certified tannery which is an international standard “established to distinguish tanneries that document and manage their operations to minimize the impact on the environment.”

Where to Buy: Besides Baggu’s own stores in Brooklyn and the San Francisco Bay Area, you can also find Baggu products carried by other retailers like Nordstrom, Need Supply, and Shopbop.

Cuyana – Small Leather Zip Around Wallet

The nice thing about Cuyana’s small leather zip around wallet is all the options. You can get textured saffiano leather in black or red or opt for smooth leather, available in four colors including a gorgeous oxblood. Oh, and there’s a shimmery, textured silver option too. The zipper is bright gold and the zipper pull is also metal. Out of the three brands I looked at, these wallets felt the most luxe. They also make an even smaller version with just three card slots.

Organization: It has a section for bills, four curved cards slots, and a coin pocket with snap closure. While there is a slip pocket behind the card slots, there isn’t one behind the coin pocket. The coin pocket is situated on its side, so you have to turn the wallet to access it.

Size: 4″ W x 4.5″ H

Price: $115 for saffiano or smooth leather and $125 for silver shimmer leather

Where it’s Made: Cuyana says the leather is Italian and the wallets are crafted in the USA and Turkey. I’m not sure if that means some of them are made in the USA and some of them are made in Turkey or if each wallet spends time in both countries.

Where to Buy: Cuyana’s two stores in California and the Cuyana site

Everlane – Square Zip Wallet

Organization: Like the other wallets I looked at, Everlane’s version has a currency section, four cards slots, and a coin pocket with snap closure. On the inside, it looks nearly identical to the Baggu wallet except the location of the card slots and coin pocket are switched. Space behind the card slots and the coin pocket? Check. The zipper on the Everlane wallet is gold tone, but not as bright as Cuyana’s. Its zipper pull is leather. I’m holding the bright red in the photo above, one of four colors offered. In addition to black, there’s also “natural” and this shiny silver, which is pretty great if you’re the kind of person who digs around in your bag trying to find your wallet.

Size: 4″ H × 4.5″ W

Price: $98

Where it’s Made: The leather is from Spain and the wallets are made in this factory in Ubrique, Spain.

Where to Buy: Everlane has just two locations, one in New York and one in San Francisco. Both of them are new as Everlane built its business online only first.

(If my reviews are helpful to you, and you decide to make your first Everlane purchase, please consider using my referral link. Create your account before browsing. Thanks! You can find all my other Everlane reviews here.)

Choosing a Winner

This is a tough one. I thought all the wallets were decently made. Cuyana seemed the nicest with its gold tone hardware, variety of leather textures, and metal zipper pulls, which perhaps would outlast leather ones. I also like the curved card slots. However, it has one big drawback for me — the lack of a slip pocket behind the coin pocket. From an organizational perspective, this puts it out of the running for me.

Between Everlane and Baggu, the wallets seemed similar to me in terms of quality. If pressed to choose one, I’d say the leather on the Everlane one felt a tad nicer, a bit more buttery. I didn’t compare these wallets side by side on the same day, so it’s hard to say. I think it comes down to what color you fancy. If you’re looking for a mirrored silver finish, then your choice is clear.

I’m a bit surprised that none of these brands offer a version of their wallet with more card slots in place of the coin pocket. From what I’ve observed, many people don’t carry change around, so a zip around wallet with eight card slots seems like a good offering.

For me, I actually ended up buying a wallet when I least expected to — while on vacation in Stockholm. (See my travel guide.) It was from raincoat maker Stutterheim, who has a reputation for responsibly manufacturing their raincoats — first in Sweden, and now in Poland. They make their wallets in India. But under what conditions? I didn’t think to ask about that until I got home from vacation. I hope their production values apply to all of their goods.

Though I’d prefer a brighter color than black, what really sold me on this wallet was that it had five credit cards slots when similar wallets only had four. It also has that all important space behind the slots and the coin purse. I don’t see the exact same wallet on their site now. But here’s a version that’s a combination of leather and rubberized cotton, which is what their famed raincoats are made out of. I snagged the wallet while it was on sale too. Score!

UPDATE 11/11/21 – It’s been a couple years since I wrote this post. Everlane and Baggu no longer make their wallets. (Baggu is phasing out their leather products.) Cuyana seems to have discontinued their wallet with four card slots. However, the 4″ x 4″ three-card slot version is still around. There’s even a zero waste edition of it. But a new option to consider is the Lo & Sons Small Wallet, which comes in five colors of saffiano leather and is priced at $125. (But you can snag it on sale. At the moment it’s $75).