Leather Sleeves & Cases for iPad & MacBook
Frequently Asked Questions
Because full-grain leather keeps its natural surface. Color variation, pores, veins and small scars can be visible. Every sleeve therefore turns out slightly different.
Yes. Light, touch and use deepen the tone and create shine where you handle it most. It becomes visible after about a year. That is the patina of vegetable-tanned leather.
The iPad versions of the ANGUS are cut for the listed devices including Magic Keyboard, Smart Folio or a comparable cover. Choose the matching device size on the product page.
In our own workshop in Hamburg. Splitting, skiving, cutting, sewing, embossing, hardware and final inspection all happen here, since 2011, with long-standing partners for individual steps.
On the outside, yes. The outer shell is full-grain, vegetable-tanned cowhide. Inside, merino wool felt protects the device and keeps the metal parts of the zipper at a distance.
It depends on the part. The hides arrive at our workshop whole, at just under 2 mm. There we split and skive the leather to suit the job each part has to do. The merino wool felt on the inside is 3 mm thick.
First dab it dry with a dry cloth, do not rub. Then let it dry completely at room temperature. Do not put it on a radiator and do not use a hair dryer. Water can leave temporary or permanent marks.
No. The front pocket is made for flat items such as a charging cable, a USB-C adapter, cards or a slim notebook. For a power adapter and bulkier accessories, the CORRIEDALE XS or the LONGFORD are the better choice.
The ANGUS comes in two sizes for iPad and four for MacBook. Each product page lists the compatible models along with inner and outer measurements. If you are unsure, send us the exact model name of your device.
Leather sleeves for iPad and MacBook, handmade in Germany
A good leather case should not just last until your next device. It should stay with you for years and look less like a product and more like yours.
Our ANGUS is made from vegetable-tanned, full-grain leather from Tuscany. Leather outside, merino wool felt inside. Every size has its own pattern, every part its own thickness, and every sleeve is made by hand.
Which leather case fits your device?
If you are looking for a leather iPad case or a leather MacBook sleeve, you should not have to study material science first. What matters is the device and the way you carry it.
ANGUS for iPad
For iPad Pro and iPad Air in 11 and 13 inch, including Magic Keyboard, Smart Folio or Cover. The zipper opens wide without dragging across the device. The flat front pocket holds a charging cable, an adapter, cards or a slim notebook.
ANGUS for MacBook
For MacBook Air and MacBook Pro from 13 to 16 inch. Structured leather protects the edges on the outside, soft merino wool felt carries the device on the inside. The fit follows the actual device size, not a universal measurement.
A leather laptop sleeve that actually fits
Most leather laptop sleeves are cut to one generous size and hope for the best. Ours are not. Because we build a separate pattern for every device size, the ANGUS works as a precise leather laptop sleeve rather than a bag your machine slides around in. If your laptop is not a MacBook, compare its closed dimensions with the table further down. If the numbers work, the fit works.
When you carry more than the device
A power adapter does not belong in a flat front pocket. If a charger, documents or a second device travel with you, a roomier bag is the better answer. That is what we built the CORRIEDALE for.
How much leather is in each model?
We spell this out because the word "leather case" gets used generously in this market. With us the split is simple:
| Model | Outside | Inside | Role of the leather |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANGUS | full-grain leather | merino wool felt | the entire outer shell |
| CORRIEDALE | merino wool felt with leather side panels | merino wool felt | the side panels, plus edges and details |
| HAMPSHIRE | merino wool felt | merino wool felt | patch and details |
| SUFFOLK | merino wool felt | merino wool felt | logo and functional parts |
If you want a real leather case, the ANGUS is the model. It is also our best protected sleeve: the same 3 mm of merino wool felt as in the HAMPSHIRE on the inside, with the leather added on top. HAMPSHIRE and CORRIEDALE are lighter and cost less, but they do not protect more.
What you cannot see in a finished sleeve
We do not buy leather as pre-cut panels. We work with whole hides, just under 2 mm thick. That thickness is not right for every part of a sleeve: in some places it is exactly what we need, in others it builds up too much bulk.
Before a hide becomes an ANGUS, we have to decide how each single part should behave. Where does the sleeve need structure? Where does the leather have to fold? Where do several layers meet? And how does the zipper stay smooth with a sensitive device underneath it?
That is where craft starts for us. Not at the sewing machine.
Splitting: the thickness of the surface
On the splitting machine the hide runs across a roller bed against a band knife. The whole surface is brought down to the thickness the finished part needs.
A back panel can stay firmer. A front pocket has to move. A tab needs a different thickness than the area protecting the edge of your device. Use one single thickness for everything and the sleeve ends up either too soft or too bulky where parts meet.
Skiving: the thickness of the edge
Along the edges the leather is thinned further on the flesh side. Not across the whole surface, only where several layers come together in a seam.
It sounds like a detail. On a zippered sleeve it decides whether a seam stays flat, whether the leather puckers, and whether the zipper still runs easily after years of use.
Why we use vegetable-tanned leather
Mineral tanning is widespread, fast and the right choice for many applications. For our sleeves we still take a different route: full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather. Not because it makes the loudest sustainability claim, but because this material behaves the way we need it to in a product meant to last.
It changes
Plant-based tanning agents react to light, touch and use. Over time the leather darkens, smooths out and gains shine where you handle it most. A light brown ANGUS slowly moves toward cognac. Small marks do not always disappear, they blend into the surface.
It stays recognizable as hide
We use the natural grain side and do not sand it into uniformity. Pores, veins, small scars and color variation stay visible. Two sleeves in the same color are related, never identical.
Plant-based tanning agents
The tanneries in the consortium work with tannins from bark, wood and fruit. That does not make other tanning methods bad. It means we know which process and which material behavior we chose for our products.
From Tuscany to Hamburg
Our leather comes from family-run tanneries in Tuscany that belong to the Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata al Vegetale. Member tanneries produce exclusively in Tuscany and commit to the production rules of the consortium.
The tannins come from plant sources, among them woods and barks such as chestnut, mimosa and oak. The process takes time. That is exactly what makes the surface so receptive later on to light, touch and patina.
How a hide becomes your sleeve
A finished ANGUS contains a lot of quiet steps. None of them is spectacular. Together they decide whether the sleeve still works without thinking about it two years later.
1. Every size gets its own pattern
Every iPad and MacBook size has its own cutting die made from bent steel strip. That is why we do not sew a universal sleeve meant to somehow fit several devices.
2. Every part comes from the right area of the hide
A hide is not the same everywhere. The back section is firmer, other areas move more. When we place the cutting die we do not only ask where a part still fits, but which area of the hide will do its later job best.
3. Sewing follows a fixed order
Front pocket, zipper, leather shell and wool felt lining are assembled one after another. Every step has to sit before the next one comes. Once something is sewn, it cannot be corrected later.
4. The logo is blind embossed, not printed
Heat and pressure form our mark directly into the leather. Because no color is involved, the technique is called blind embossing. The branding does not sit on the surface as a layer, it develops its patina together with the sleeve.
5. We stitch our zipper pulls
This is the point where others simply set a rivet. With us every zipper pull is closed with a fine seam all the way around. After that the open cut edges are finished and the sleeve is checked. Only then does it leave our workshop.
Leather or merino wool felt?
The honest answer: it depends on how you use your device.
| ANGUS | Felt models | |
|---|---|---|
| Build | leather outside, 3 mm merino wool felt inside | 3 mm merino wool felt |
| Protection | the highest, felt plus leather | the felt absorbs impact |
| Edges | structured by the leather | softly wrapped |
| Weight | higher | lower |
| Moisture | leather can take stains and marks | naturally water-repellent, not waterproof |
| Aging | develops a patina | changes visibly less |
| Price | higher | lower |
If the sleeve goes into a tightly packed backpack every day and should weigh as little as possible, the felt models are the sensible choice. If you want maximum protection and a material that becomes visibly more personal over the years, the ANGUS is right.
Patina: the sleeve will not stay new
This is not a side effect we would like to play down. It is part of choosing vegetable-tanned leather.
For the first few months little happens visibly. After about a year the areas you touch most start to darken: the zipper, the edges, the surface where you pick the sleeve up. After that the tone deepens and the surface gains shine. After several years small scratches, handling and everyday use can no longer be told apart.
If you want a surface that stays as unchanged and even as possible, you will be happier with a different material. If you want to see that an object has been used, that is exactly why you choose leather.
Leather care: as little as possible, as much as needed
- Every day: wipe off dust with a dry, soft cloth. Usually the leather needs nothing more.
- After it gets wet: first dab it dry with a dry cloth, do not rub. Then let it dry completely at room temperature. Do not put it on a radiator and do not use a hair dryer.
- When the leather looks dry: use a colorless care product suitable for vegetable-tanned leather, very sparingly, and test it on a hidden spot first.
- Stains: do not rub hard. Moisture and grease change the tone at first. Much of it evens out over time, but we cannot promise it disappears completely.
- Sunlight: long one-sided exposure can darken the leather unevenly.
Patina can be guided, not controlled. That is exactly why a well-used sleeve eventually looks different from a new one.
How to recognize good leather
Terms like "genuine leather" or "premium leather" are not a reliable proof of quality on their own. What tells you more is which layer of the hide was used and how much its natural surface was altered.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Full-grain | The natural grain side stays intact. Pores, fine veins and small scars can be visible. Because the dense upper fiber structure is not sanded away, full-grain leather is particularly durable. |
| Corrected grain | The surface is sanded and then embossed or coated to create a more even appearance. That can make sense, but it behaves differently and develops a different patina. |
| Split leather | Splitting creates a second layer below the grain layer. It can be used as suede or coated. Real leather, but not the full-grain top layer. |
| Bonded leather | Leather fibers bound together with adhesives into a new material. Not comparable with a grown, full-grain hide. |
For the leather surfaces of our ANGUS we use full-grain leather. Pores, veins and small scars stay visible. That is exactly how we want it.
Three things you can check yourself
- Look at the surface. A perfectly identical, repeating grain suggests an embossed pattern. A natural hide does not repeat like a print.
- Look at the edge. Coatings and textile backings can become visible there. A single cut edge does not replace a proper material description though.
- Ask specific questions. "Real leather" is not enough. What matters is the tanning method, the layer of the hide, the origin and the surface treatment.
A short glossary
- Vegetable tanning
- Tanning with plant tannins from bark, wood and fruit. Takes weeks instead of hours.
- Tannin
- The plant-based tanning agent. Our tanneries work with chestnut, mimosa and oak among others.
- Splitting
- Reducing the thickness of the whole hide. What comes off underneath is split leather.
- Skiving
- Thinning the leather only along the edges, on the flesh side, so no thick spots build up when parts are joined.
- Shaving
- Bringing the hide to an even thickness at the tannery, before it is delivered.
- Blind embossing
- Stamping with heat and pressure alone, without color. The mark stays part of the leather surface.
- Grain side and flesh side
- Outside and inside: the grain side is the grown surface, the flesh side is the rough back.
ANGUS measurements
We measure the finished product, not the technical drawing. Even so, natural material and handwork can cause small variations. The device compatibility listed on each product page is always the decisive information.
| For | Inside | Outside |
|---|---|---|
| iPad Pro / Air 11" | 27.3 × 19.9 cm · 10.7 × 7.8 in | 29.1 × 21.1 cm · 11.5 × 8.3 in |
| iPad Pro / Air 13" | 30.9 × 23.4 cm · 12.2 × 9.2 in | 32.1 × 24.6 cm · 12.6 × 9.7 in |
| MacBook 13" | 31.5 × 22.6 cm · 12.4 × 8.9 in | 32.8 × 23.6 cm · 12.9 × 9.3 in |
| MacBook Pro 14" | 32.6 × 23.5 cm · 12.8 × 9.3 in | 33.7 × 24.8 cm · 13.3 × 9.8 in |
| MacBook Air 15" | 36.0 × 25.4 cm · 14.2 × 10.0 in | 37.5 × 26.5 cm · 14.8 × 10.4 in |
| MacBook Pro 16" | 37.4 × 25.9 cm · 14.7 × 10.2 in | 38.2 × 27.1 cm · 15.0 × 10.7 in |
Not using a MacBook? Measure your laptop closed and compare it with the inside column. If it works on paper, it works in practice. We cut close, but not too close.
Why we make it ourselves
We have been making our products in Hamburg since 2011. Not because a hand-sewn seam sounds more romantic, but because it lets us decide on thickness, fit and construction ourselves.
The result should be precise on day one. It gets interesting later: when the leather has darkened, the surface shows your daily use, and the zipper still runs as if nothing had happened.
That is what durability means to us.
From raw hide to the last seam
In our own workshop in Hamburg. Splitting, skiving, cutting, sewing, embossing, hardware and final inspection all happen here, since 2011, with long-standing partners for individual steps.
That is why we can tell you which layer of the hide was used, how it was tanned and where it comes from. With a bought-in finished part, we could not.
SEE THE WORKSHOP AND OUR STORY →More in leather: Leather accessories · LONGFORD cable bag · Wallets and card holders · Desk mats
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Perfect. Precise.
Designed for Apple
Handmade cases that fit like a tailored suit – for iPhone, iPad & MacBook.
