It wasn’t long ago that we first decided to revolutionize the average wallet by making it faster, safer and easier to use. 5 years later our mission has become to change the way we carry. From wallets to key holders we are working our way through every daily carry product to create smart solutions to the real problems of modern people. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and see how we got here, thanks for staying along for the ride!
[Pictured above: The Parliament and Tracker Card]
2016 - Creating the wallet of the future
We started this journey by creating a wallet that makes sense for the modern world. Safer, faster and easier to use, with the original Ekster Parliament we gave you RFID protection, quick card access, and profile made to slim your pockets. You put your faith in us and our first kickstarter campaign blew up.
The slim design minimizes bulk in your pocket and encourages better organization, so you only carry around what you really need. The trigger mechanism reflects the rapidly changing modes of transaction in the modern world, namely a move away from carrying cash towards carrying mainly cards. The cardholder makes it easier to see every card in your wallet at the click of button and makes cards easier to access, saving you time at the register.
We knew it was crucial to make our cardholders RFID-proof, eliminating the chance that your cards will be skimmed for their information. But we didn’t want all this tech to take away from the craftsmanship and allure of a classic leather wallet. After all, wallets are one of the only accessories that a man gets to choose from, and it should reflect the importance of what it carries. That’s why our classic wallets are made from the highest-quality ECCO leather.
[Pictured above: Inside the ECCO factory that produces our sustainable leather.]
2017- Fine-tuning the modern wallet
After our initial success we took the opportunity to refine and revise our original design, perfecting all the tiny details.
We started by revamping the trigger mechanism, achieving faster and smoother card ejection than before. We were also able to invest in higher quality, more sustainable materials that elevated the look, feel and environmental impact of each wallet. This all culminated in the Ekster 2.0, known to most as our best-selling wallet, The Parliament.
[Pictured above: The Parliament]
2018 - Making things trackable
We knew that of all the major problems facing wallets, getting lost was the biggest. Trackability is something we definitely needed for the wallet of the future. But how to make a wallet trackable without taking up a huge amount of unnecessary space?
The technology needed to be small enough to fit in our slim wallets. We also wanted to avoid charging cables or something that needed to be charged very frequently. A tracker that could potentially run out of battery when it’s lost completely defeats the purpose.
Eventually solar technology presented itself as the best solution. It doesn’t require cables, can be charged from anywhere, and has an incredibly long battery life. But before we finally perfected our Tracker Card, we had to get over a few roadblocks.
[Pictured above: The Tracker Card and Chipolo App.]
2019 - Working with solar
Solar panels were clearly the best solution for our Tracker Cards, but we needed to shape the technology to work for us. Existing technology was geared towards large panels for solar farms or integration into houses and buildings, there weren’t that many tiny solar panels around, so we had to design one ourselves.
We also noticed that a lot of solar panels needed full sun exposure to get fully charged, but we wanted something that could be charged anywhere, regardless of weather.
In the process of designing a solar panel that adheres to all these constraints we inadvertently created the most advanced solar panel to date. Only about 2 centimeters wide and able to function in overcast or artificial light conditions, the final product only needs 3 hours of sunlight for 2 months of charge!
[Here are 5 reasons we switched to solar energy.]
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2020 - Perfecting everyday organization
Once we cracked the solar panel, we knew there was no challenge too big. We took our design philosophy of effortless organization and classic style to craft an ecosystem of products with smart solutions to the real problems of modern people. Our solutions now range from wallets to laptop sleeves and trackable key holders. If a product doesn’t save you time and make your life easier, it’s not by us!
[Pictured above from left to right: Parliament Wallet, iPhone 11 Case and Key Holder]
