Founded in 2017 | Portland, OR, USA
Our Story
In a world of ordinary, mass-produced products, we offer something different—premium, handmade goods that get better with time.
It All Started with a Wallet
We are Jake Fromer and Jeff Heil, co-founders of Woolly Made. We first met in product design school at the University of Oregon, where we bonded over a passion for quality and simplicity in design. After school, we both ended up in Portland—Jake in apparel innovation at Nike and Jeff in freelance UX design.
We also shared a frustration that there wasn’t a wallet on the market that felt right. We wanted a wallet with a modern design, but that also was crafted with care, using premium materials and honest production techniques. These two things don’t usually go together and, reaching into our own pockets, we knew we could do better for the thing you carry with you every day.
In 2017, we took our idea for a better wallet and a 500-pound laser cutter into a basement in Northeast Portland. What started as a side project turned into a small business, and Woolly Made was born.
Do More with Less
From the start, our goal has been to find simple ways to make beautiful products. After countless hours of trial and error we discovered a unique way of "doing more with less."
We combine modern manufacturing methods and traditional craft techniques—a process that allows us to create products that are both precise and full of character. Each piece is high-quality, sustainable, and thoughtfully made.
This minimalist philosophy is what drives us. It’s part of our vision of a world with fewer, better things.
A New Way to Customize
Since we make everything by hand in our Portland studio, customization has always been part of what we do.
With the help of a successful crowdfunding campaign, we raised over $25,000 from more than 280 backers to launch Woolly Lab. This software, designed and built from scratch, lets customers design their own wallet online. Woolly Lab brings a completely new experience to the handmade wallet space.
Life with Fewer, Better Things
We are proud to be a small business embedded in Portland's maker culture and the American craft movement. We employ local workers and pay fair wages. We use premium, natural materials from domestic suppliers.
You can shop our 40+ handmade products online or in our Portland studio. You can also visit our select retailers—more than 50 boutiques around the country.
As our business grows, we aim to appeal to a new world of conscious consumers looking to fill their lives with fewer and better things.
