Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

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It’s not very often that I open a box and have to stop what I’m doing to inhale the fragrant smell of fine leather wafting as I unwrap the contents, but that’s exactly what happened when I recently opened a package from Galen Leather.  What was inside the box? Beautiful cases for my iPhone, 12″ MacBook, and 13″ MacBook Pro.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

All Galen Leather products are made from locally sourced 2-4mm vegetable tanned cow leather; all items are handmade, hand-stitched, and when necessary, hand painted; in other words — all processes are done by hand.

The leather softness level is medium, so it is stiff without being terribly rigid, but all of their products will soften over time, and they will age with daily use. All of the edges are burnished and finished, and the only care these products will need is an occasional light layer of olive oil (or your favorite leather cream) applied with a cloth.

Let’s take a look …

No.02 Personalized Leather iPhone 7 Plus Wallet

If you like leather book-style cases for your iPhone, then you’ll find much to enjoy with the Galen Leather No.02 Personalized Leather iPhone 7 Plus Wallet. Made of vegetable tanned distressed leather, the No.02 wallet is also available for the iPhone 7, iPhone 6/6S, iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus, and the iPhone 5/5s/5SE.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

Opening the box that the No.02 wallet comes in is like walking into a room filled with leather-bound books; it’s lovely. The distressed leather is the type that will scratch and stain over time — taking on a personality and patina of its own.

The wallet is held shut with a magnetic flap; inside there are slots for three credit cards and a window for your ID. There’s also a long slash pocket that can hold folded bills or receipts — everything you need to carry your phone as your wallet.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

The holster that holds your iPhone is a soft-touch flexible plastic; it has total coverage for all of your iPhone’s buttons and corners, with cutouts for the mute switch, camera, flash, speaker, and sync/charge port. Worth mentioning is that the sync/charge port cutout is large enough to accept many but possibly not all aftermarket cables.

The wallet also functions well as a stand for your phone, whether you are using it as a bedside clock or watching media on a plane.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

I like the personalized touch Galen Leather includes: there is a certificate inside the case stamped with the name of the person who handmade the wallet along with the date it was done. Galen Leather products are made in Istanbul, Turkey, which explains the addition of a little lagniappe: a Nazar, or evil eye charm.

You can read more about evil eye charms here and here, but long story short:

The evil eye – first recorded by the Mesopotamian about 5,000 years ago in cuneiform on clay tablets, the Evil Eye may actually have originated as early as the Upper Paleolithic age. We find this figure in Jewish, Christian and Muslim cultures as well as Buddhist and Hindu societies. The evil eye is a curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, which is usually directed towards a person who is unaware. Many cultures believe that receiving the evil eye will cause one misfortune, bad luck or injury. Talismans created to protect against the evil eye are also frequently called “evil eyes.”

The No.02 Personalized Leather iPhone 7 Plus Wallet sells for $32, and you can add your initials for an additional $5.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

Here’s an example of a No.02 wallet with a lovely patina and a three initial monogram.

Leather iPad Pro 12.9″ Sleeve 

One of the things that I love about the Galen Leather 12.9″ iPad Pro sleeve is that it is available in a rainbow of vegetable tanned leather colors. I was sent the green with hand-stitched contrasting grayish-white waxed polyamide thread; it is divine.

The sleeve is kept closed with a loop and tab system; again, the package includes a certificate with the date the item was handmade, stamped by the artisan who made it.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

Another evil eye lagniappe along with a certificate of origin and maker.

The 12.9″ iPad Pro leather sleeve measures approximately 13.1″ wide by 9.25″ tall.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

The iPad Pro sleeve is protective, and it allows the iPad to be carried safely without any further case. There is extra room inside the case so that it can accommodate the Apple Smart Keyboard.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

The two holes on the inside of the case are for inserting and carrying the Apple Pencil.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

The 12.9″ iPad Pro sleeve sells for $69. You can add a handle to the sleeve for $12, and you can add a back pocket for $23; you can even add your initials for another $5. There is also an option for having your company’s logo embossed; all you have to do is contact them to discuss.

Leather MacBook Sleeve

The Galen Leather MacBook Sleeve is also available in a rainbow of vegetable tanned colors; I was sent the gorgeous, rich brown version. Similar in style to the 12.9″ iPad Pro sleeve above, the MacBook sleeve can be ordered to fit the 12″ MacBook, 11″ MacBook Air, 13″ MacBook Air, 13″ MacBook Pro Retina, 13″ MacBook Pro with Touchbar, 15″ MacBook Pro Retina, and the 15″ MacBook Pro with Touchbar. Again, the hand stitching is done with a contrasting grayish-white waxed polyamide thread.

Galen Leather: Luxurious Accessories for Your Electronic Devices

The MacBook sleeve also uses a tab and loop closure system, and I opted for the optional back pocket.

The sleeve is large enough to carry my 13″ MacBookro Retina with the 12.9″ iPad Pro in the back pocket, though I don’t recommend carrying them together as it makes for a weighty bundle.

The Galen Leather 13″ MacBook Sleeve is great protection when you don’t want to carry a backpack or briefcase, but it is slim enough that it will fit into your backpack if that’s what you prefer. Measuring approximately 14″ wide by 9.75″ tall, it’s the perfect size for my MacBook Pro and other slim items I might want to carry — like rolled up cables. It isn’t quite able to carry my MacBook’s brick, but that’s okay.

 

The Galen Leather MacBook Sleeve sells for $69; you can add a back pocket for $23 and a handle for $12, and you can also personalize the sleeve with your initials for an additional $5.

Before Galen Leather reached out to me, I had never heard of them, but I am very happy to know that there is a company making fine leather products that are well made, lovely to touch, protective, and beautiful all at the same time.

If you are looking for an affordable yet customizable leather case for your iPad, iPhone, or Macbook, do be sure to check out the offerings at Galen Leather. Each hand-crafted item is made to last, and they will only get better with use and age.

 

Source: Manufacturer supplied review samples

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.