Back in late January, I did a guest blogging stint on Boing Boing. One of the things I wrote about was my new Braithwaite wallet, a beautiful laser-etched, Deco-inspired coat wallet (that I carry in my front pants pocket). In the comments to my post, one person remarked: “I can’t wait for someone to rip off these designs and sell them for cheaper.” Connor Ferster, the man behind the Braithwaite, didn’t take offense, he took it to heart. He decided to make all of their wallet designs (interiors and exteriors) available as free PDF downloads (measurements and all), licensed under Creative Commons. Anyone can download the designs and either make their own wallet, based on the Braithwaite pattern, or remix the designs and make their own (and yes even as a commercial product). I think this is a really smart thing to do. It’s going to get them far more publicity and good will than whatever they might lose in sales.

Connor also tells me about a new program they have to replace any wallet you buy from them, should your wallet ever get lost or stolen. But this offer is only good through April 22nd which is when they actually start shipping wallets (they’re still in a pre-order phase).

Braithwaite Wallets