Green Daily

Picture an eco-friendly wallet and you don't have to imagine those shapeless hemp money holders anymore. You know the ones with a pot leaf on the front? Accessories, clothes, and a lot of other design stuff that happens to be eco-friendly is starting to look way cooler.

Take timoWallets. The seriously sleek line of accessories from designer Timo Weiland brings together style, function and earth-friendliness in one awesome little money-holding package.

Weiland has created super thin timoWallets (because we all know that bulky wallets don't work in a skinny jeans world) with bright colors, original art work and photography. There are collectible timoWallets designed by Timo himself and wallets done with different collaborators (including his mom!).

It was the green part of Weiland's designs that I was most interested in, especially as more and more designers have decided to go green without sacrificing style. In an email exchange with the NYC-based designer, I asked about how the decision to go green came about: "Sustainable has always been integral to our philosophy, from before the first piece was produced." These slender wallets additionally benefited from using "eco-friendly materials such as recycled paper because it also stayed very tight and small as a wallet". And it's not just part of their philosophy - timoWallets use post-consumer vinyl and soy ink.

The future of green-conscious design looks fine to Weiland who says, "The current climate is perfect to nurture brands such as ours", mentioning another great looking, eco-conscious brand called Intoxica, and adds that "the industry should be held to a higher level of accountability as far as green standards go."