Katie Wallet: A Design Shaped by Use

The Katie Wallet is one of the ReCreate models that has changed the most since 2015.

Like every object developed at the studio, Katie went through different stages of testing, use and refinement. But this model has a particular story: it began as a wallet designed for rolling tobacco and gradually became one of the most versatile small pieces in the ReCreate collection.

Its intermediate size made that transformation possible. Over time, Katie started to be used in different ways — as a document holder, a passport wallet, a place for money, cards, notes or even a small paper pad.

Many of these changes came directly from the people who used it. Customer feedback helped refine details, adjust proportions and improve the way the object responds to everyday gestures.

A Model in Constant Evolution

The evolution of Katie also reflects the evolution of ReCreate itself.

Since the first versions, the studio has become more precise in the way it works with reclaimed advertising banners. The construction became cleaner. The structure became lighter. The finishings gained more intention.

Even the labels tell part of this story.

Today, each piece carries a numbered ReCreate label, stamped by hand on small leftover pieces of banner from the cutting process. These fragments become part of the object’s identity, reinforcing the uniqueness of every wallet produced.

Nothing is anonymous. Every Katie has its own number, its own surface and its own material history.

Technical Details That Matter

Katie also shows how technical decisions shape the life of an object.

In the beginning, ReCreate worked mainly with weaving techniques, creating texture and structure across the surface of each piece. Later, paper-folding principles were introduced into the process, allowing the material to gain resistance, lightness and a different type of construction.

Other details were refined through experience: industrial stitching replaced glued points; metal reinforcements were added in areas of tension; different materials were tested for the closing system.

Each decision came from observation.

How does the material bend? Where does the hand pull? Which part opens and closes again and again? What needs strength, and what can remain light?

These questions are part of ReCreate’s design process.

Designed to Stay in Use

The Katie Wallet is a small object, but it carries a long design history.

It speaks about adaptation, listening and the importance of making objects that can stay in use for years. It also shows how a reclaimed material can become more than a surface — it can become structure, identity and daily presence.

At ReCreate, design is not fixed at the first version. It evolves through time, through use and through the relationship between material, maker and person.

Katie is a quiet example of that process.

A wallet shaped by experience.
A practical object with memory.
A small piece of design that continues to adapt.