What goes into creating premium leather iPhone cases: Mujjo boss explains

Amsterdam-based Mujjo is a Dutch designer label well-known for making premium leather-based circumstances for iPhone. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

It’s a busy month for Mujjo, a Dutch designer label identified for promoting premium leather-based circumstances for the iPhone, together with equipment like MacBook sleeves and touchscreen gloves. The iPhone 12 lineup has lately hit retail cabinets and Mujjo is busy fulfilling orders to fulfill the excessive demand for the circumstances comprised of wonderful leather-based.

Primarily based in Amsterdam, Mujjo is without doubt one of the few manufacturers that solely focuses on designing and promoting upmarket equipment for Apple merchandise. We caught up with Remy Nagelmaeker, Managing Director of Mujjo, to determine how he and his staff designs circumstances for the iPhone, his love for Apple, and beginning a vogue model that offers in tech equipment.

So, inform us a bit bit about your background, how acquired began designing equipment for Apple merchandise? When did you begin Mujjo and what made you enter the equipment enterprise?

I began out working with my buddy Tom and was quickly joined by Robin, my youthful brother. We did a few initiatives collectively however Mujjo was our first actual success.

We really began out by designing touchscreen gloves that have been in contrast to the rest that was accessible on the time and really regarded fairly good. Quickly after the success of the gloves, we introduced our first assortment of sleeves, which much less local weather­-dependent and might be purchased any time of the yr.

After that we moved on to creating telephone circumstances, beginning off with the iPhone 4. The rationale we began making telephone circumstances as a result of we felt like we have been being challenged by the cell accent market – it’s missing when it comes to sustainable and attribute vogue labels, in contrast to the standard vogue business. The cell accent market is lacking the “good couture issue”, so we needed to create a vogue model however restricted to tech equipment.

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Nagelmaeker says loads of effort goes into designing circumstances for the iPhone. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

You could have been operating Mujjo since 2011, and the model is thought for making high-end equipment. Are you an Apple fan your self, or is it a pure enterprise choice of promoting Apple-only equipment? I can see circumstances for Samsung telephones listed in your web site, however the model appears to deal with Apple equipment.

I’m an Apple fan, I’ve a 12-inch MacBook and an iPhone Xs (which I’ll be upgrading to a 12 fairly quickly). To not point out our workplace consists solely of Macs.

I like Apple’s smooth design and ease of entry. I assume liking the model does assist when creating equipment for it, because it simply makes you extra ultimately aim. It is usually simpler to create tech for Apple as they’ve a smaller choice of gadgets on the whole.

We tried Samsung merchandise too, however they didn’t promote as effectively, so we have now determined to at the moment persist with Apple.

The circumstances will be bought from Mujjo’s personal web site, as effectively from Amazon.com. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

What does the case for a telephone symbolize? Lots of people I do know say they like to make use of the iPhone the best way it’s.

The case represents the particular person’s vogue sense whereas giving them safety from day-to-day life. So actually, it ought to be sensible and trendy. Although I additionally assume that the ‘bare’ iPhone appears nice, I wouldn’t take the chance of carrying it round with out it being protected. iPhones can shatter so simply (I do know from previous experiences). Additionally with our pockets circumstances, you get an additional pocket for bank cards, so it improves comfort when going out as effectively.

What’s the strategy of designing an iPhone case? Are you able to clarify intimately?

The artistic course of actually begins with realising that there’s a sure want for a product. That’s how the Touchscreen Gloves got here to life within the early days of Mujjo. And that’s additionally how our Leather-based Pockets Instances got here to life ­- born from our private have to declutter. I design the circumstances and I all the time attempt to hold it easy but efficient. So from the idea of constructing the precise case, it may possibly take not less than six months.

Robin is the one that sources the leather-based, and he appears all around the world for the right leather-based to make use of for our merchandise. It’s essential to us and our design ethics that the tanneries are one of the best environmentally and ethically, subsequently all our leather-based tanneries are a member of the Leather-based Working Group and every year they are going to be audited by an exterior particular person to ensure they’re nonetheless following the moral and environmental pointers, created by this working group.

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We don’t work with Apple to make our merchandise, we simply collect the size of the brand new telephone and create a case from that. So Mujjo is 100% our creation, the one factor we get from Apple is the telephone itself. We promote the circumstances on our personal web site, Mujjo.com, however we additionally work with Amazon in addition to different retailers all over the world.

Mujjo is actually a vogue model however restricted to tech equipment. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

Apple lately introduced the iPhone 12 lineup, and Mujjo presents totally different circumstances for the iPhone 12. What’s so particular in regards to the iPhone 12? What was it like designing circumstances for the iPhone 12 lineup? What number of occasions does Mujjo replace the iPhone case assortment in a yr?

Designing circumstances this yr was much like designing previous circumstances, besides this yr the iPhone was a bit extra rectangular, so the brand new telephone’s form needed to be thought-about in addition to the pocket placement. Additionally for the primary time, we have now included a brand new ridge across the hole for the digicam lens on the iPhone 12 Professional Max for added safety. We are likely to solely replace the gathering when a brand new iPhone is launched, so I might say yearly.

Is there any traction on the iPhone 12 Mini case, although the gadget has not gone on sale but. Do you assume the iPhone 12 Mini can be an enormous hit?

We have now already offered out of our first batch of the iPhone 12 Mini circumstances so that’s fairly fascinating. We can be restocking round mid-November so we must wait and see how rapidly that batch sells as effectively. They are saying the Mini is healthier for individuals with smaller arms who don’t desire a tremendous giant and costly telephone with the additional tech… we’ll must see what occurs when it’s launched!

A leather-based case for the iPhone 12 and 12 Professional will set you again by €41.24. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

Do you observe vogue developments? What’s your artistic course of like? The place do you search for artistic inspiration?

We don’t chase vogue developments. As an alternative, we design merchandise that match our personal type, style and wish. When it comes to inspiration, I assume I might say that I take pleasure in being surrounded by issues that I like for the easy indisputable fact that it makes me really feel good; resembling good furnishings or art work. I do assume it has an affect on our work however not essentially a vital one. I’m fairly a spontaneous particular person so I don’t actually like planning, my artistic course of is extra after I really feel like doing one thing I do it.

How do you steadiness creativity and commerce?

Properly, being artistic is totally different for everybody and on the identical time, I additionally assume everybody will be artistic at one degree or one other. So I be certain that that there’s a steadiness between being artistic and having a extra critical mindset. I do benefit from the commerce aspect of it, because it presents challenges to me and retains me entertained as a lot because the artistic aspect does.

Mujjo presents premium circumstances for your complete iPhone vary. (Picture credit score: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

How a lot effort goes into making a case for the iPhone?

Loads of effort goes into all of the parts. Maybe our largest problem can be staying true to our excessive requirements for supplies and on the identical time holding our product inexpensive.

We use premium high quality supplies for every thing, from our full­-grain vegetable leather-based to the paper in our packaging. We develop the supplies to our actual liking in cooperation with the provider or tannery. We set fairly excessive requirements and persist with them. The truth that we don’t prefer to make concessions will be one other problem we face. However, like every thing else, it’s born from our ardour for what we do.

Apple, too, sells equipment for the iPhone and MacBook, particularly iPhone circumstances and MacBook sleeves. Does that trouble you?

No, probably not, it’s their telephone! What we try to do right here at Mujjo is permit for selection when it comes to equipment for Apple. We give prospects different choices as an alternative of Apple equipment. Furthermore, our circumstances have incessantly been referred to the Apple circumstances by editors!

Up till the iPhone 12, we have been certainly one of a choose quantity of circumstances that included a pockets – which is a Mujjo unique – on the again of the case, and even now with Apple’s attachable MagSafe pockets, I feel prospects would nonetheless want one that’s sewn on to the case and is safer.

This sleeve for 13-inch MacBook Professional and MacBook Air is comprised of vegetable-tanned leather-based. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

How large is your staff and do you might have plans to broaden it?

Our staff at the moment consists of Tom, Robin and I, in addition to 5 different staff. All of us have totally different jobs to do, and since our workplace is an open plan it’s very easy to speak with one another and know what’s going on. Our work setting is fairly lean in that respect and we prefer to hold every thing from our emails to our day-to-day work fairly informal and relaxed.

Describe the present workplace ambiance at Mujjo. With the vacation season across the nook and iPhone 12 Mini/12 Professional Max occurring sale quickly, are you guys working below stress?

The present ambiance within the workplace is fairly upbeat! We’re glad to be working with one another on this demanding time, and it’s good to return into work every single day and have a change of setting. Naturally, we’re all excited for Christmas, nonetheless, three of our staff come from England, so I feel they’re simply questioning what the state of affairs can be when it comes to returning residence.

When it comes to stress in regards to the iPhone 12 Mini and Professional Max, we’re really feeling fairly calm (at the moment). All our stress got here when the entire vary was first launched, however as a result of many purchasers and editors ordered their telephone circumstances after they have been first launched on our web site, we are going to in all probability get a smaller quantity of purchases for when the telephones are literally launched.

Nagelmaeker began Mujjo in 2011. His model focuses on designing premium equipment for Apple merchandise. (Picture credit score: Mujjo)

Do you give credit score to Apple for the muse of Mujjo? What makes Apple so totally different from different tech corporations?

We don’t essentially give Apple credit score for the muse of Mujjo nonetheless, we do in all probability prefer to thank Apple for creating nice know-how which exhibits why they’ve such intense model loyalty amongst their followers. Furthermore, although with the brand new 12 vary they launched 4 telephones, Apple releases a smaller choice of telephones every year than different manufacturers resembling Samsung and Huawei. This implies we’re capable of create a case for every variant and know that every will be loved by prospects.

Is India your focus market? Do you might have plans to promote iPhone circumstances and MacBook selves in India?

We’re simply beginning to focus extra consideration on India. We have already got a reseller Picture On-line which can be stocking our 12 vary within the subsequent few days. We additionally actually take pleasure in working with influencers from India as their footage will be so vibrant and provides life to our merchandise. We’re wanting ahead to the alternatives that India will carry for our firm sooner or later.

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