November 2021 saw the final edition of Wallet hit the presses, ending the influential — yet tiny — publication's impactful industry presence with a series of conversations with archivists.
In fact, founder and editor Elise By Olsen has partnered with Gucci to properly send off Wallet in style, creating a limited edition boxset very much in line with the tastes of the collectors she recently spoke with, packaged in a useful case created by Gucci.
"Gucci has been a loyal main advertiser in all 10 back issues of Wallet," By Olsen explains to Highsnobiety. "Our art director, Morteza Vaseghi, and I always had the intention to create a special collectible box set once [Wallet] was completed. We reached out to Gucci to see if they were interested in collaborating on a 'Wallet wallet'; a pochette that could be filled with the complete set of 10 issues published from 2018-2021."
"We wanted the box to also function as a pochette bag/accessory if the magazines were removed. Gucci loved this and came on board in seeing it through!"
By Olsen had a specific lifespan in mind for Wallet when she began the project so it's amusingly appropriate that her magazine's metaphorical last gasp is realized as a multi-purpose clutch-style bag allows it to escape shelf life.
"I’ve personally always been obsessed with book sets and publishing series, so for me it feels very special to see Wallet collected in this way," continues By Olsen.
"The idea behind the name, format, price and thematic premises was that Wallet would be accessible, a part of your daily essentials, something you’d carry around (as opposed to the big coffee table books that’s a huge tendency in the publishing field), take notes in and take notes from. [But] now these single copies are a super limited special collectors artefact/item!"
Inside the 10 issues of Wallet, you'll find interviews with power players that range from COMME des GARÇONS CEO Adrian Joffe to designer Grace Wales Bonner alongside visual essays on brands like Hermès, Thebe Magugu, and Yohji Yamamoto and written pieces from contributors in the biz.
Suffice to say, owning one of the limited edition Gucci Wallet boxsets for €80 (about $90) gives you access to a pint-sized fashion bible of sorts.
"I also want to add a special thank you to the Norwegian brand Holzweiler for coming on board and supporting the back-issues re-print of the project," By Olsen added, pointing to the exclusive Wallet merch that's also rolling out at Dover Street Market Ginza to support the launch. "Local supports local!"
"I’ll keep a copy for myself for posterity, and – of course – one box to be enrolled in the International Library of Fashion Research permanent collection, which is my new project and what I’ll continue to focus on now that Wallet is done."
