poketo.com vinyl wallets

December 22, 2005 8:43 AM

poketo.com's limited vinyl walletsmight be the perfect last-minute gifts.. sweet designs by lots of fancy design and art people (links and infos to everyone of them too), e.g. derek kirk kim had 3 designs (take a look at the sold out designs by clicking on "archive" and "sale")
posted by suni (63 comments total)

These art people, do they use crayons?
posted by IronLizard at 8:54 AM on December 22, 2005

I like the idea and illustrations are cool. They're not too expensive either. Kinda sucks I don't see one thats my style.
Good post thx.
posted by Rubbstone at 8:59 AM on December 22, 2005

What's in your wallet?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:08 AM on December 22, 2005

They actually seem to be kinda neat, and not too expensive. But how will these help win the war on christmas?
posted by R. Mutt at 9:13 AM on December 22, 2005

Heavy handed editing going on....
posted by fixedgear at 9:23 AM on December 22, 2005

They are nice designs that look cool, I think pepsi blue jokes are unwarranted.
posted by mathowie at 9:25 AM on December 22, 2005

This is an obvious advertisement, yet my post to that effect was removed. What's going on?
posted by Malor at 9:26 AM on December 22, 2005

they look far to big to fit in any of my pockets.
posted by lemonfridge at 9:28 AM on December 22, 2005

Just because it's for sale doesn't mean it's bad. They're great designs, (I just bought two), and without this post I wouldn't have seen them. Thanks, Suni.
posted by still at 9:28 AM on December 22, 2005

Some of those are pretty neat, wish I would have seen this a couple weeks ago, they would make nice gifts. Of course, if I was smart, I'd start next year's holiday shopping now, but I'm not smart...
posted by marxchivist at 9:29 AM on December 22, 2005

Are they as cool as the Sheriff Pony Wallet?
posted by drezdn at 9:30 AM on December 22, 2005

Hmm...I'm a bit suspicious...but...

...some really good designs...but II...

...doesn't look very proctical as a wallet. Durability & what you can carry.

My wallet from Skint Records is a lot better at actually carrying my stuff. And it was a freebie ;-)
posted by i_cola at 9:31 AM on December 22, 2005

Ditto what Still said (minus the 'bought 2' part cuz I'm skint due to Christmas!)

Good post. Interesting designs.
posted by stumcg at 9:32 AM on December 22, 2005

Great! I even recognize a couple of the artists. I know what I'm buying myself with spare Christmas cash.
posted by jennanemone at 9:34 AM on December 22, 2005

Still: no you would, only somewhere else :)
posted by elpapacito at 9:36 AM on December 22, 2005

I really, really like the Brendan Munroe illustration of the boy riding the critter through bamboo, but I wish it didn't say "artwork by Brendan Munroe" -- or if he had to put his name on it, it would have been nice to integrate the type in a more subtle way.
posted by Marit at 9:38 AM on December 22, 2005

I got one last month, and it fits more than I thought it would.

On of their artists, Susie Ghahremani, had some of her pieces stolen from a gallery recently, and she's trying to find them.
posted by amarynth at 9:50 AM on December 22, 2005

I don't want to accuse anyone unfairly but if someone named Susie Ghahremani were to create a Metafilter username, she might use the first two and last two letters of her full name. And then if that user "suni" were to use her very first front page link to link to a page selling wallets by Ms. Ghahremani, it would be a self-link. But maybe I'm just thinking too much.
posted by octothorpe at 9:59 AM on December 22, 2005

Octothorpe, I had the very first comment here, and it was "You can use these wallets to buy delicious Pepsi Blue"... but it was deleted. Maybe this is a friend of Matt's or something?
posted by Malor at 10:09 AM on December 22, 2005

Malor, what I already said about it and what still said. They're unique, cool designs that happen to be for sale. Save the "pepsi blue" shit for pointless product announcement posts that offer nothing interesting.
posted by mathowie at 10:18 AM on December 22, 2005

I don't want to accuse anyone unfairly but if someone named Susie Ghahremani were to create a Metafilter username, she might use the first two and last two letters of her full name.

Neither of them use capital letters much (susie, suni). And the writing style is awfully similar, though I may just be seeing what I want to see.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:20 AM on December 22, 2005

mathowie, as far as I'm concerned, I DID save the pepsi blue comment for a pointless product announcement post that offers nothing interesting.

It smells very fishy.
posted by Malor at 10:24 AM on December 22, 2005

I smell blood.
posted by docpops at 10:25 AM on December 22, 2005

The wallets are kinda cool in a folk-art, self-taught, Dargeresque way sans the spritely girly bizness, but if by chance this is a self-link, she needs to be stoned.
posted by docpops at 10:27 AM on December 22, 2005

From the pictures, these "wallets" appear to be about the size of a CD case - not practical at all. I mean, look at the last picture. Clearly it isn't going to fit in the jeans pocket; are they trying to convince you not to buy it?
posted by odinsdream at 10:33 AM on December 22, 2005

If this were a case of the poster being a friend of Matt's, or Matt knowing it was a self-link, Matt would be up front enough to say so.
posted by orthogonality at 10:39 AM on December 22, 2005

ARGGH teh metafilter crumbles like teh wikipedia doooooom.....
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:42 AM on December 22, 2005

The MeFi Memory Hole is getting larger by the day, Malor.

That being said: What a fun product to purchase on the Internet! This will come in handy because Jesus has a birthday coming up soon, if I'm not mistaken!
posted by gramschmidt at 10:45 AM on December 22, 2005

These damn indie artists and their wallet special interest groups. Will they stop at nothing?
posted by iamck at 10:48 AM on December 22, 2005

Well, the writer/intellectual bell hooks doesn't capitalise her name either...
posted by R. Mutt at 11:11 AM on December 22, 2005

On review, the evidence for this being a self-link is pretty thin.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:15 AM on December 22, 2005

i found spartacus' wallet
it had a picture of me in it
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:16 AM on December 22, 2005

PinkStainlessTail writes "On review, the evidence for this being a self-link is pretty thin."

And it's clear that Matt wants no criticism of it, so we should all do what he wants.
posted by orthogonality at 11:20 AM on December 22, 2005

After all, nothing says "quality" quite like vinyl...
posted by Eekacat at 11:22 AM on December 22, 2005

Oh, and suni is apparently in Berlin
posted by Eekacat at 11:29 AM on December 22, 2005

Not everybody trying to sell things is evil.

The only reason to call someone out for a post to an online store is if it's massive corporation. Giving a plug to a small company selling good things is fine, in my opinion. Though, I would prefer the poster make a little extra effort and include more than one store in a single post, or some more context about the artists, etc.
posted by empath at 11:39 AM on December 22, 2005

Or the callers out could be assholes who hate everything. That's another reason.
posted by smackfu at 11:40 AM on December 22, 2005

Assholes? On Metafilter? There has to be another explanation!
posted by chunking express at 11:47 AM on December 22, 2005

these "wallets" appear to be about the size of a CD case - not practical at all. I mean, look at the last picture. Clearly it isn't going to fit in the jeans pocket; are they trying to convince you not to buy it?

If you look at the other photos (where you can compare them to currency) they don't look that big. I would imagine the model in that last photo would have trouble fitting most wallets into that pocket. (The slimmer you are, sadly, the smaller your pockets get.) That's why wallets go in your back pocket, not your front one. Or in a woman's case, in your purse. Which brings up another point. I can't imagine a man ever wanting one of these, due to the designs and the vinyl construction, so they must be meant for women. But women wouldn't have much use for something so small; the women I know have mostly these gargantuan wallets in which they keep every financial- or identification-related thing they own for the convenience of purse-snatching identity thieves. So who are these for?

And this is so totally and obviously a Pepsi Blue self-link I can't believe anyone's arguing otherwise. Just read it! It absolutely stinks of ad copy. However, suni does get props for answering 60+ times in AskMe in the first month.
posted by kindall at 11:53 AM on December 22, 2005

kindall writes "this is so totally and obviously a Pepsi Blue self-link I can't believe anyone's arguing otherwise. Just read it! It absolutely stinks of ad copy."

Tick, tick, tick ....
posted by orthogonality at 11:56 AM on December 22, 2005

Orthogonality -
Like a freshly thawed mackeral flung unto the gaping seal's maw, I give you
suni's website.

hopefully this clears everything up for you.

*teleports out of the thread*
posted by Baby_Balrog at 12:08 PM on December 22, 2005

kindall, I'd buy one of these designs in a smaller size, I'm sure other guys would, too.
posted by odinsdream at 12:09 PM on December 22, 2005

my googlefu crushes you.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 12:10 PM on December 22, 2005

i admit it, i'm mike patton and i bought a wallet : )
posted by suni at 12:38 PM on December 22, 2005

"it's clear that Matt wants no criticism of it"

Matt said it.
I believe it.
That settles it.
posted by mischief at 12:44 PM on December 22, 2005

These wallets look big enough to land jumbo jets on them.

Definitely not something that will fit in your pocket but I guess that was by design - would you want such a huge sheet of plastic pressed up against your leg for any period of time?

Speaking of design, the 'artwork' smacks of elementary school crafts project. Sorry, but it does.

And nothing says 'I love my planet' or 'I am so cheap' better than a non-biodegradable wallet.

While I would be embarrassed to use one of these gargantuan plastic wallets when paying for a night out, I guess it could be used as a disposable plastic sheet for a picnic or to keep one's family dry in a squall.

And did I mention that it looks cheap? The only thing that could make these plastic wallets look any cheaper is... cheap looking stitch.

If wallets were suits, these would surely be polyester.

Last minute gifts? I wouldn't buy them if they were the last wallets left on the planet.

Note: I have seen better vinyl wallets (identical in construction but much nicer artwork/design) for $12 so the price seems a bit much for what you are getting, too.
posted by stringbean at 1:16 PM on December 22, 2005

Ahah! I put my finger on it... now I remember where I've seen Susie Ghahremani's work. Providence has Craftland, a temporary store/fair/thing that is open for a few weeks before Christmas -- they sell handmade stuff. Last year I got an owl sticker she made. (We went to the same school!)

Small world.
posted by Marit at 1:19 PM on December 22, 2005

suni = Susie Ghahremani ie the designer?
posted by mr.marx at 1:48 PM on December 22, 2005

mr.marx: nope ;)

it's funny when memes turn into fetishs : )
posted by suni at 1:54 PM on December 22, 2005

stringbean - if you're not interested in these wallets, don't buy one. if you don't appreciate the artwork, don't buy one. i don't know what you think you're accomplishing by whining about it here, especially not having actually ever seen one of these in the flesh.

i just got a Poketo wallet in the mail today that i ordered a few weeks ago as a present for my sister, and it's quite nice. it's actually a bit smaller than your average wallet - check 4"x 4" on a ruler, it's not as big as you think, and fits quite nicely in just about any pocket you can find. in my opinion, the artwork is wonderful - granted, some are better than others, but that's subjective, isn't it? I think it will make a perfectly nice gift for someone with any appreciation for modern art, illustration or fashion.
posted by ab3 at 2:32 PM on December 22, 2005

If it's the best of the web, it's the best of the web.
posted by mecran01 at 3:27 PM on December 22, 2005

i'm mike patton and THERES A TRACTOR IN MY BALLS
posted by blag at 5:15 PM on December 22, 2005

awesome. thanks, suni.
posted by es_de_bah at 5:20 PM on December 22, 2005

posted by fixedgear at 5:23 PM on December 22, 2005

fixedgear has himself a Costanza!
posted by HyperBlue at 7:41 PM on December 22, 2005

ab3:

stringbean - if you're not interested in these wallets, don't buy one. if you don't appreciate the artwork, don't buy one. i don't know what you think you're accomplishing by whining about it here, especially not having actually ever seen one of these in the flesh.

Right now the only person who is whining is you, Allen.

An FPP is an invitation to discuss the subject of the FPP so I gave my opinion: These plastic wallets are ugly, big and look cheap.

If I would have seen them in a thrift or variety store (where I would expect to find plastic wallets) I would have been more charitable and just moved along without saying anything at all.

But when I click on an FPP expecting the best of the web, it tends to set my expectations a bit higher. While I don't mind Pepsi Blue posts so long as the product is innovative in utility or design, these wallets are neither. The disappointment in this case motivated me to add my opinion to the discussion. Again, this is my opinion. If you disagree, then enjoy your wallet but please don't tell me what I can and can't do.

And yes, I have seen plastic wallets in the flesh. You would know that if you had actually read my entire comment. I have seen identical wallets (with a better design, mind you) selling for $12. They look and feel uber cheap.
posted by stringbean at 8:00 PM on December 22, 2005

Oh, man ... can't, ... um... can't we all just get along ?
posted by R. Mutt at 8:28 PM on December 22, 2005

No we cant, R.Mutt. In fact, I heard Fox News is behind the spread of the vinyl wallet. BASTARDS.
posted by Eekacat at 8:57 PM on December 22, 2005

blag: "i'm mike patton and THERES A TRACTOR IN MY BALLS"


That almost made me shoot water out my nose.
posted by mindless progress at 9:41 PM on December 22, 2005

I have a different edition of the luke cheh monkeys wallet that my girlfriend got for me at giant robot. (he's a local LA artist and we both really like his stuff)

It's a wee bit big, but not bad. Not terribly durable, but I beat the hell out of everything.

I like my monkey wallet</small.
posted by flaterik at 10:20 PM on December 22, 2005

I have a different edition of the luke cheh monkeys wallet that my girlfriend got for me at giant robot.

Hmm. Looks like that bug which inserts random words into comments is back.
posted by blag at 3:44 AM on December 23, 2005

Complety cool. This is putting me into an arty art cute world I havent had time for lately, I cant decide between
Brendan Monroe or the artist known as PCP. Impressed by these youngsters. Also - arty types geting real good at flash based web sites, eh?
posted by celerystick at 4:02 PM on December 23, 2005

I bought one of these at WonderCon last year. It was the first time I had a non-traditional (i.e., black or brown leather) wallet. I loved the design; I loved pulling it out and having people ask about it.

But it didn't last at all. It was rather poorly made, or rather, visually designed, but not physically designed. The wallet was wider than I was used to (I guess there's a billfold style that some people like) and didn't have enough storage for cards and had a change purse I had no use for. I repaired it with packing tape several times, but it still only last a few months.

I thought about buying another one, but decided to seek out another non-traditional wallet that maybe wasn't as overtly artsy but was more functional than decorative. I don't regret the experiment, but I can't really recommend Poketo's wallets to anyone else. They could do a much better job on the design of the product itself.
posted by stevil at 6:10 PM on December 24, 2005