text: Shagwear designs some of the cutest wallets out there. Prefer an eye-catching design over a $90 metal name-brand label on a tired print? Then these may be for you.<br /><br />Over the past five years, I have owned three Shagwear wallets (their Canadian flag/maple leaf, the travel passport style, and a floral one). They are conversation starters wherever I go. People really want to know the story behind a stylized Canada goose or whether that's the Canadian flag on the back of my wallet. Yes, yes it is. Am I Canadian? Yes, I am. No, I don't know your cousin Bob in Toronto but let's talk about health care now.<br /><br />Shagwear would earn more points if they made their wallets to last more than a year. I'm not really that hard. I do not whip out wads of cash or pile in loonies and toonies by the dozen. Nor do I carry 72 loyalty cards because I don't think I can name 72 Canadian stores, let alone shop in that many. Unfortunately the seams on their wallets were sewn by gophers in Albertan mountain camps, pressed down by little paws, and no actual use of string or thread appears to meld the sides. The seams split easily when aggressively used -- say, by slipping your debit card into a slot once a day. It tears or wears away at the worst spots, right where cards line up or along the middle seam separating the cash pocket. Argh.<br /><br />Be gentle with zippers that tender hands have sewn in because they aren't made for a lot of wear and tear. Or rip and zip. They tend to pull away at one end and there's no way to really secure the zipper once it comes away.