Don't listen to us, see what the press write about Big Skinny wallets!

December Issue, If Men Carried Purses by Chris Yeomans

1) Big Skinny wallet - $19
There are so many different wallets that are available to choose from, but we are going to keep in theme and include this wallet. The designers at Big Skinny have come up with the world’s skinniest wallet measuring at 1/8 inch. The wallet has pockets for your bills and credit cards. There is a private pocket for ? less frequently used items and/or a condom?? (how interesting) and there is also a window pocket for pictures or IDs. This is small enough to carry around in almost any pocket, but since we are carrying a purse, we will include this in there. Also, the small size will provide more room for our other gadgets and gizmos.

Here’s the Skinny on Thin Wallets by Sarah Frederick on July 8, 2009

I've searched for the perfect wallet since I began carrying a purse in junior high, but have never found one that was exactly right. I tend to shove wadded up cash, receipts and discount cards into my wallet, and within days, it's a cluttered mess, and I can't find my ATM card. And no matter how big the wallet, I can never get the thing to close.

The Big Skinny wallet doesn't look like the black leather versions I normally buy. I got the Executive style, made of an ultra-thin, nylon microfiber, in Fuchsia Pink (it also comes in Tuxedo Black, Cocktail Red and Smokey Teal), and although it's not my typical color, I love it because it's so easy to find in my kitchen-sink purse.

The wallet has thin, wider-than-normal pockets for credit cards and envelopes for cash and receipts, biz cards, etc., as well as a zippered compartment. The entire contents of my two-inch-thick original wallet -- including change -- fit inside with room to spare. Snaps actually hold the thing closed. The best part: the wallet is only 3/8ths of an inch thick. I've been using the Big Skinny for about a month and am proud to say that it hasn't become unorganized. It's a keeper.

Decision: Get it!

Shopping Tip of the Day: What's in Your Wallet? by June Wulf on March 5th, 2007

If you build a better wallet, the world will beat a path to your website. Consider Cambridge resident Kiril Stefan Alexandrov, who got so frustrated with bulky men's wallets that he started using the small cardholder insert instead. A few years ago, he decided to design his own. It's called the Big Skinny, and it's made of nylon microfiber with an interior rubber coating and has extra wide pockets and a slot for easy removal of cards (or photo of your honey du jour). Price: $19.95.

The Pocket Pal July 7th, 2005

All too often, men stockpile credit cards, player’s club cards and business cards in their leather wallets, stretching them out and adding to the bulk in their backside.

You’ve worked hard to have your summer bod, so why would you want a big bulge in your back pocket? A new wallet, The Big Skinny, is on the market just in time for summer, and to reduce the junk in your trunk.

Developed by Kiril Alexandrov (who won a $50,000 entrepreneurial award at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his design), The Big Skinny is a stylish, sleek, durable and full-functioning wallet. It works as a weekend essentials wallet, a going-out-to-dinner-only-bring-your-credit-card-and- -identification-wallet and an everyday wallet. And because its microfiber material expands according to how many essentials you need, it can hold much more than its size appears.

Coined ‘the thinnest wallet in the world.’ The Big Skinny is available in tuxedo black and navy blue at www.BigSkinny.net for $19.95.

Putting our wallets on a diet

Over the years, I've looked for a wallet capable of carrying the nearly 20 credit, bank and membership cards I have, along with some currency. But I've never been able to find one with that large of a capacity. In fact, it seems like the basic wallet hasn't changed in decades and rarely fits more than a half dozen or so cards and bills, even though we use more cards than ever.

In searching the Internet, I discovered three companies that have tackled this problem and come up with some practical solutions. Coincidently, each of the three products I tried cost $19.95. ALL-ETT of San Diego has developed a wallet made from a paper-thin, rip-stop, nylon fabric that's used in large parachute sails on sailboats. It's very thin and crinkly, like paper, so it seemed like it might easily tear…

…I tried the company's "original" bi-fold design that's 3 inches by 5 inches when closed. Opened, it has four card pockets and two currency compartments. I was able to fit about four to five cards in each pocket and about 20 bills. The tightly sewn pockets and non-stretch material limit it from holding more. The company also makes a smaller wallet and credit card cases…. Big-Skinny of Cambridge, Mass., makes a line of thin wallets constructed out of a nylon, micro-fiber cloth, similar to what's used in Prada and Kate Spade purses. The cloth has a rubber lining that adds stability and prevents the cards from slipping out of the pockets; it's available in a variety of colors.

I tried the company's Thin Sport Wallet, which is 3 inches by 4 inches. It's designed like a normal wallet, with two inside horizontal pockets, one with a transparent front. Amazingly, it was able to hold two dozen cards and 20 bills. Fully loaded, I was still able to fold the wallet without it deforming and it easily fit into a side pocket. (bigskinny.net)


Lastly, I tested a cleverly designed money clamp from Austin, Texas-based beza (beza.biz). I tried its Geneva design, which has the largest capacity of the company's half-dozen models. It's constructed of metal and has three articulated hinges that self-adjust to firmly grasp anywhere from a couple of cards to a dozen cards and up to 10 bills. To use, you wrap the bills around the cards and then clamp the stack together. It worked well, always holding firmly. The clamp takes up the least volume of all.

Of the three, I preferred the Big Skinny because it had the largest capacity and was the only product able to hold all of my 20 cards. It also seemed as sturdy as a leather wallet. But if you don't need to carry as much as I do, the others products also worked well.

Buyer's Edge: Grab Bag Column by Sabine Morrow on September 2, 2006

WALLET: Big Skinny, $19.95, Big Skinny

WHAT HAPPENS: Stuff this wallet with a stack of credit cards, a fistful of bills and your driver's license --- and walk away bulge free.

WHAT WORKS: Made with the thin, pliable microfiber material used in Prada bags, this wallet lets you keep the stuff without the bulk. No more aches and pains from sitting on a brick.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: If you're used to a more sturdy leather wallet, this one may seem a bit flimsy and floppy.

WHAT YOU'LL GET: It features a slot for bills and three wide pockets --- one with a plastic window for photo identification. The fabric is so thin that it really is skinny. It comes in Navy Blue, Tuxedo Black and Desert Khaki.

TO BUY IT: It's available through www.bigskinny.net.

Guy Gear: What’s in your pocket? by Phaedra Friend in August 2005

Keep the junk in your trunk to a minimum with this revolutionary super-thin wallet. Big Skinny, www.bigskinny.net.

Gear of the Day: Big Skinny Wallet

Now you can carry some mid-ride java cash and a couple of credit cards safely, thanks to the super-slim Big Skinny wallet.

Okay, I know that most hardcore cyclists will not carry a wallet along with them on their hardcore Saturday ride or that epic 30 mile XC ride. But if you are going to do it, no wallet is better than The Big Skinny. The Big Skinny, constructed from super-durable, ultra-thin, pliable microfiber material, will fit in the back of your jersey with no bulging what so ever. It is also perfect for rec riders and commuters, causing no uncomfortable bulges in your pockets while riding. But don't just think the Big Skinny is for the minimalist, even with its slim design you can fit 20-plus credit cards and cash in it, while maintaining the Big Skinny's slim profile. The Big Skinny is available in tuxedo black, navy blue, cocktail red, chocolate brown or desert khaki and retails for $20.

Top billing By LaMont Jones on January 1, 2006

There's help for guys who need to carry a wallet but hate the lopsided butt bulge that comes with it. The Big Skinny, which bills itself as the world's thinnest wallet, is pliable and made of an advanced version of the durable microfiber that helped popularize Prada accessories. Kiril Alexandrov, who created the wallet, won a $50,000 entrepreneurial award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for its design. It comes in black, navy and desert khaki ($19.95) at BigSkinny.net or 1-888-844-6925

Banking on the Big Skinny: Wisp-thin wallet aids the thin look by Pamela H. Sacks on July 19, 2005

Kiril Stefan Alexandrov’s wallet is getting fat off the Big Skinny.

Mr. Alexandrov, a multi-faceted entrepreneur, has designed what he bills as “the world’s thinnest wallet.” He calls it the Big Skinny, a bow to film noir, he says, when actors were “so elegant and skinny.”

“I got tired of sitting on a big wallet,” says Mr. Alexandrov, who lived in Webster for several years when he was a youngster. “It started to hurt my back, and it wasn’t much fun. I did it out of desperation in my need for a thin wallet.”

Mr. Alexandrov had some downtime early last year and decided to see if he could solve his problem. He had worked for IBM, run a literary magazine, and founded a biotechnology company. On top of that, he had been exposed to the fashion world through his sister, Etel Alexandrov, a designer of upscale knitwear for children, which is sold in Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and Macy’s, among other retailers.

Designing the perfect wallet represented a new challenge. Mr. Alexandrov conducted careful research on what people carry in their wallets and tried a series of designs. He tested dozens of materials and ended up using a lightweight, resilient microfiber with a special rubber backing. “When you’re biking, or running, or sitting, you don’t want anything sliding out,” he says.

Mr. Alexandrov sells the wallet on his website, www.BigSkinny.net , and he is now marketing it to stores nationwide. He was told by several people familiar with retailing that he could charge as much as $50. He resisted and priced the wallet at $19.95.

“I wanted to make sure everyone who wants thinness can get it,” he says from his office in Cambridge. “I wanted it to be more democratic.”

Mr. Alexandrov has a good feel for the democratic spirit, not to mention the American dream.

He was a child of 4 and his sister was a babe in arms when his parents, both doctors, escaped from communist Bulgaria more than 30 years ago. They were granted political asylum, Mr. Alexandrov says, and joined family members already residing in North Grosvenordale, Conn.

After a brief stay, the Alexandrovs moved to Webster, where Mr. Alexandrov’s father found work as an inhalation therapist at Hubbard Regional Hospital. Both parents learned English and eventually were licensed to practice medicine in Massachusetts.

During those years, the family lived on School Street and, later, “behind McDonalds, which was a great place for a kid,” Mr. Alexandrov says with a laugh.

“I didn’t speak any English,” he remembers. “The first thing I learned was the Pledge of Allegiance. I tried making the sounds. Then I understood the words.”

After several years, the family moved to Pennsylvania, where Mr. Alexandrov’s father found a good job in the medical field. Mr. Alexandrov discovered his penchant for business while studying at Gettysburg College. Upon graduation, he took a job with IBM in Maryland.

But Cambridge captured Mr. Alexandrov’s imagination, and, soon after moving there in the early 1990s, he founded The Boston Book Review. He served as president of the review, while earning a master’s degree in English at Harvard University. At its height, the literary magazine had a staff of 10 and nationwide distribution. It was printed at Saltus Press in Worcester. Bob Kutchniki, Web/production manager, recalled the youthful editor arriving with his copy.

“We’d make proofs,” Mr. Kutchniki says. “He’d come back and check the proofs and make changes, and we’d print it. We did mailing and distribution for him, and we loaded all we could of the extras into his little Miata two-seater.”

Then, at the height of the high-tech boom, Mr. Alexandrov got involved with a couple of MIT scientists who had an idea for a startup.

One of them had figured out how to attach molecules to DNA, RNA and proteins, making them visible to the naked eye and much easier to control in experiments. Mr. Alexandrov drew up a business plan, and he and one of his colleagues entered a series of high-level competitions in 2000.

“It was the right way to kick off the millennium,” Mr. Alexandrov recalls excitedly. “It was the most fun anyone could ever have. It was getting up at the crack of dawn and asking, What will happen today? I was still running the book review at the time. I never felt more alive.”

The team won the MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Contest and the Stanford Global Entrepreneurship Challenge. Mr. Alexandrov closed down the book review—a labor of love—and became CEO of Genigma Corp.

By 2004, Mr. Alexandrov had moved on to international relations through connections at Harvard’s Kennedy School. He was asked to expand the nonprofit International Economic Alliance and became its executive director. The group sponsors symposiums to advance international trade and investment.

Meanwhile, Mr. Alexandrov has big plans for his wisp-thin wallet, which has been featured in Boston Magazine and in publications across the country. He says the orders are flowing in, and other Big Skinny designs are in the works. He is willing to do whatever it takes to sell the Big Skinny concept.

Not long ago, he could be found manning a vendor table at the Cambridge River Festival. “I was swamped with men and women who were fitting all their normal wallet stuff into a Big Skinny,” he says. “In a few hours, I sold almost a hundred. It was so much fun.”

The Big Skinny by Helaine R. Williams on June 13, 2006

Billed as "the world's thinnest wallet," the basic wallet has been redesigned to keep it from bulging unattractively when shoved into a pocket. The wallet comes in Tuxedo Black, Navy Blue and Desert Khaki, and retails for $19.95 at www.BigSkinny.net. (Pssst, ladies: It's a unisex wallet. Get one for yourself too.)

The skinny on wallet upgrade; New design keeps your pockets clean by Scott Wachtler on April 23, 2007

Is that overstuffed wallet in your back pocket giving you a huge pain in the...well, you know where I'm going. How many times have you taken a credit card out of your wallet and had all of its cousins come spilling out? Kiril Stefan Alexandrov feels your pain and frustration. Alexandrov is a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology $50K Entrepreneurship Competition winner and creator of the Boston Book Review. Now he's done something about your wallet problem.

"I could never find [a wallet] I liked," Alexandrov said. "It was always this wallet's too thick or too heavy. Too many pockets; too few pockets. I had a rubber band at one point." Through this frustration the Big Skinny was born. The Big Skinny uses an advanced version of nylon micro-fiber material that made Prada famous, along with a special rubber backing that prevents credit cards and money from slipping out when you open it, or hold it upside down. "I interviewed over a hundred people. I did a lot of research into what people wanted in a wallet," Alexandrov said. The Big Skinny's success has turned Alexandrov's solution into a full-time job: marketing the Big Skinny from its online home base (bigskinny.net) to the brick and mortar world.

"I'm starting to approach a few catalogues," Alexandrov said. "Retailers have been approaching me too." In an interview held at the Signet Society in Cambridge, Alexandrov showed mockups of new tin containers in which the retail version of Big Skinny would be sold. Next up for Alexandrov is something more akin to his days when the Boston Book Review was still in publication. He is currently working on a book about famous people from his native country Bulgaria.

Think you could use a Big Skinny wallet? Send us a picture of your overstuffed wallet. BostonNOW will publish the photo of what we think is the worst offender, and it owner receives a free Big Skinny.

Money Matters by Ruth Robias on June 21, 2005

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but discomfort is its dominatrix. The constant irritant of a lumpy wallet, for instance, led to the development of the Big Skinny ($19.95), which bills itself (no pun intended) as the world’s thinnest man-purse. Made of a super-duper-high-tech microfiber material that comes in black or navy, it measures only an eighth of an inch thick. Whip it out, show it off, and let’em see that size really does matter. To order, call 888-THIN-WALLET or visit www.bigskinny.net.

What we are… carrying by Josefina Loze on June 30, 2009

Slim wallets for men and women made from high-density nylon or leather. They come in just about any color — hot pink, black, tan.

Who's wearing them?
Men love them, but women use them, too. Oprah has endorsed them. And GQ magazine has bragged about them. People of all ages are buying them. Kiril Alexandrov launched Big Skinny wallets four years ago online. He's a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology $50K Entrepreneurship Competition winner and creator of the Boston Book Review. Now he's done something about your wallet problem.

“People are tired of sitting on thick wallets,” Alexandrov said. “Men hate when their credit cards slip out of their wallets.”

The Big Skinny uses an advanced version of the nylon micro-fiber material that made Prada famous, along with a special rubber backing that prevents credit cards and money from slipping out when you open it, or hold it upside down. Why are they popular?

Slim wallets are stylish and serve a purpose.
The average person carries about 15 cards in his or her wallet (driver's license, credit cards, gift cards, membership and business cards). Most wallets don't use the pocket space efficiently. Card placement tends to be staggered, not divided into equal sections.

“You get a big lump that way,” Alexandrov said. “Skinny wallets have card pockets that are divided into mini stacks. So you fit more…”

Cool Product Alert: Big Skinny Wallets Allison Kaplan

Keep your Coach wallet. We're getting skinny. Big Skinny. This humble workhorse is designed to hold all of your cards, coins and cash without adding bulk. True, wallets have thinned themselves out lately without swapping leather for nylon microfiber. And doesn't that just add insult to injury: toting a big boat of a money holder without much to show for it? The times call for function over fashion (although, a few sequins wouldn't hurt). Big Skinny ultra thin, lightweight wallets come in several sizes and colors. Prices range from $7.95 for the Mini Skinny to $25.95 for a couple of zippered styles. You'll find them at TA Travel Centers when you're on the road or order online at Bigskinny.net.

Here’s the Skinny on Thin Wallets [re-print from Miami Herald] Sarah Frederick

I've searched for the perfect wallet since I began carrying a purse in junior high, but have never found one that was exactly right. I tend to shove wadded up cash, receipts and discount cards into my wallet, and within days, it's a cluttered mess, and I can't find my ATM card. And no matter how big the wallet, I can never get the thing to close. The Big Skinny wallet doesn't look like the black leather versions I normally buy. I got the Executive style, made of an ultra-thin, nylon microfiber, in Fuchsia Pink (it also comes in Tuxedo Black, Cocktail Red and Smokey Teal), and although it's not my typical color, I love it because it's so easy to find in my kitchen-sink purse. The wallet has thin, wider-than-normal pockets for credit cards and envelopes for cash and receipts, biz cards, etc., as well as a zippered compartment. The entire contents of my two-inch-thick original wallet -- including change -- fit inside with room to spare. Snaps actually hold the thing closed. The best part: the wallet is only 3/8ths of an inch thick. I've been using the Big Skinny for about a month and am proud to say that it hasn't become unorganized. It's a keeper. Decision: Get it!

Pain in the…? May 2009

Remember George on Seinfeld and his ginormous wallet? If your wallet looks like George’s, the check out the Big Skinny wallet. The Big Skinny is extremely thin and small due to a durable, nylon micro-fiber material five to seven times thinner than leather. A unique rubberized backing secures cards and cash. Most designs fit 20-40 credit cards in extra-wide pockets. Because Big Skinny wallets weigh less than an ounce, they prevent irritation to your sciatic nerve. Think Father’s Day.

The Big Skinny on Wallet Inventor December 6, 2008

Does the world really need another wallet?
Kiril Alexandrov certainly hopes so. He plans to build an entire company, The Big Skinny, around his “better mousetrap.

It started as a side project. He didn’t like the bulk and heft of traditional wallets. He had resorted to carrying his stack of plastic cards and bills wrapped in a rubber band.

Alexandrov tested dozens of materials and designs to find one that worked. His wallet would have a personality. It would be sleek and sexy. It would have a name. It would have a hidden pocket for a stack of credit cards, or a condom. Now that should grab attention. He would use photographs of a beautiful woman in alluring poses with a handsome man to promote the product.

The strategy is working. The Big Skinny broke even within weeks of its launch and has since started turning a profit. Maybe the Big Skinny will become a major name in wallets. But it doesn’t necessarily have to in order to be successful.

“The more research I did, the more I realized there is quite a sizable market out there, Alexandrov said. “If the Big Skinny can capture even a small portion of that market, that’s quite enough for me.

The Skinny on a Thin Wallet Man by Jennifer Heldt Powell on May 31, 2009

Two years ago I profiled an entrepreneur who built a small business around a thin wallet he designed for men. At that time, he said he had big expansion plans that included a women’s line.

A lot can happen in two years, especially when the economy tanks. Dreams and hopes get put on the back burner as small business owners struggle just to stay afloat. Plans get derailed as customers run out of money.

Recently however, a package arrived in my mailbox containing a stack of six colorful wallets. The entire bundle is thinner than my current wallet. Kiril Stefan Alexandrov did it.

He talked to hundreds of women asking what they wanted and didn’t want to carry in their purses and created a slimmer alternative to the traditional bulky wallet. While he was doing that, he significantly expanded the reach of his company, the Big Skinny.

This all started because of a big pain in the butt, literally. Alexandrov was tired of shoving a thick wallet in his pocket. He tried dozens of candidates, but none were thin enough, so he set out to design his own. He experimented with various fabrics and designs until he found a combination he felt worked well enough to share with others.

It’s a tough market given how many alternatives there are everywhere. Alexandrov has tried to stand out by building a brand associated with function and quality.

“I don’t want to reproduce what’s already out there,” he said.

The idea for a women’s line was sparked by comments from women who saw the men’s version.

“As a man, the thing that shocked me the most was the fact that women even wanted thinner, lighter wallets,” he said.

They had a lot of ideas. There should be lots of pockets and a place for coins. Some wanted room for a checkbook and others wanted space for a cell phone. Of course, fasion was as important as function.

Alexandrov kept notes and started designing while he continued to build the company. The hardest park of running the business is maintaining balance, Alexandrov said. While he works on new products, he has to stay on top of sales of the existing ones.

Alexandrov said his biggest mistake in recent months was neglecting the retail stores. He didn’t push to get into them as much as he thinks he should have.

When the economy went bad, stores stopped stocking new products in order to sell off existing inventory. That was made it harder to get into new venues.

He’s not dwelling on the past however. He’s just working to make up for lost time.

His wife, Catherine Alexandrov, has joined him full time in the endeavor. They’ve signed on seven independent sales teams across the country to help sell the wallets and they’re moving toward hiring two employees by the end of the summer.

Meanwhile, they are also revamping the company’s website, working on distributing internationally and getting into catalogs.

If all goes according to plan, there will soon be a few more options for customers – a few more designs in the women’s line and a new line for travelers.

Trib Tested: Big Skinny Wallet by Rege Behe and John C. Schisler on August 3, 2009

My old wallet, Big Brown, survived dips in the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie, and being trod on in New York and Toronto. Reduced to a mottled shade of tan with fringes of leathers, it had served long -- about a decade -- and well, but deserved to be put on a comfortable shelf to live out its last days.

But a skinny wallet seemed out of the question. Too many IDs, receipts, notes and plastic (although not enough cash). Like George Costanza's exploding wallet in "Seinfeld," Big Brown served as "organizer, secretary and a friend."

Show me the skinny wallet that can take care of all that. Meet Big Skinny, billed as "the world's thinnest, smallest and lightest" wallet. Developed by a guy who studied at MIT -- he must have developed this during a break in a physics class -- the Big Skinny is, as billed, light. It's comfortable; a few times I've thought I've forgotten it, it's so snug, only to find it in my pocket. Made from a water-resistant (a good idea I've yet to test) nylon micro-fiber, the Big Skinny features extra-wide pockets. And almost improbably, it holds the same amount of cards, notes and necessities as Big Brown. My only real problem is that I often can't find it in the morning, its sleek profile half that of its predecessor.

If you find yourself needing a rubber band to keep the contents of your wallet from spilling out or find the size of said wallet to look similar to that of George Costanza's -- you know the episode where George sits on a tilt when his oversized wallet is in his back pocket -- well then the Big Skinny is the wallet for you.

About 1/8-inch thick when empty, this water-resistant nylon microfiber wallet holds all the contents of my "old" traditional leather wallet but cuts the size-factor in half. It holds everything I need (driver's license, credit cards, bank debit card, AAA card, Giant Eagle Advantage Card, etc.) but doesn't fatten nearly as much. Despite the shoddy spare key holder sewn into the bill holder section of the wallet (the only con I see in its design), I still find the Big Skinny wallet to be a great find and a definite back saver!