Get Your Designer iPad Case From the Right Designer
Updated, July 2026 -
Most fashion designers are not product designers. That distinction matters more than most people realize, especially when you're shopping for a leather iPad Pro case that needs to actually work.
Designer iPad folio cases from fashion houses look the part. They carry prestigious names. What they often don't do is protect your iPad case the way a case designed by a product designer will. Are you shopping for perceived luxury or real luxury? That's the question worth asking before you buy any Pro or iPad Air case.
Designer iPad Case
Some time ago I answered the following question on a question/ answer website:
"What makes a designer handbag worth thousands of dollars?"
"The answer is, nothing. It's all perception. The bag itself has very little intrinsic value. If you value the design, then there is value to you. If you appreciate the perceived quality, then there might be some value for you there as well.
What you are paying for when you purchase a handbag that costs thousands of dollars is the momentary alleviation of the crushing insecurity that you feel. You can pay a therapist to find out what childhood trauma is causing your insecurity, or you can pay Louis Vuitton or Gucci and continue to perpetuate it.
The choice is yours.
If we shift gears from handbags to a product that actually requires some semblance of functionality, like a luxury iPad case, the exploitation of insecurities grows exponentially.
The Louis Vuitton iPad Case Myth
Louis Vuitton made an iPad case for years. It had their signature LV logo across it and it looked exactly like what it was: a fashion accessory that happened to fit an iPad. What it lacked was any serious consideration of how the iPad is actually used, how it's carried, how it's accessed, how the screen and aluminum body need to be protected from real-world impacts.
Fashion designers are trained to make things that look extraordinary. They are not trained to solve problems. As a result, many luxury designer iPad Pro cases lack the basic features and practicality that are essential for a high-quality, protective iPad folio. Shock absorption, secure closures, and ergonomics are product design problems, not runway problems. Louis Vuitton's iPad cases solved none of them particularly well. What it did do was charge you for the name.
A Gucci iPad Case, Really?
Gucci followed the same path. Heavy on branding, light on engineering. It's crucial to recognize that the exorbitant price tag associated with luxury designer iPad cases is not solely due to the quality of materials or craftsmanship. Much of it can be attributed to the weighty advertising budgets and brand prestige that come with these fashion labels. In essence, you're paying for the name and the image, rather than the functionality and protection of your tablet.
A Real Luxury Leather iPad Case
I've spent over 35 years designing products like cars, aircraft interiors, consumer electronics, and cases for Apple portables. Every one of those disciplines taught me the same thing: good design solves a problem. It doesn't just look like it solves a problem.
When I designed the original MacCase in 1998, a case for the iBook laptop, I started with the computer itself. How does it get damaged? Where are the vulnerable points? How does someone actually carry it through a day?
Fast forward to 2010 and the release of the iPad. The same problem solving skills were applied to Apple's tablet. The leather iPad folio cases we make are built around those answers. The use of full-grain hides from a family-owned tannery outside Kolkata, India, ethically sourced from cows that pass naturally. A magnetic closure that keeps the case shut without a tab or strap to add extra steps and visual clutter. A soft interior that won't abrade the screen or the aluminum back panel. That's what a designer iPad case looks like when the designer is a product designer.
If You Want a Designer iPad Case, Get One From the Right Designer
The question worth asking before you buy isn't "does this look expensive?" It's "did the person who designed this understand what an iPad case needs to be to keep the iPad safe?" MacCase leather iPad Pro cases and iPad Air cases are available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes.
About Michael Santoro
Michael Santoro is a multi-award-winning designer across a broad range of industries including automotive, product and aerospace. The holder of 8 U.S. patents, he founded MacCase in 1998 and with it, the Apple-specific case market with his design for a case for the original iBook. He also mentors aspiring artists and designers around the world through his tutoring programs at Art College Prep and How to Draw Cars. Learn more about his work at Michael Santoro Design.
