Mujjo iPad mini Sleeve review

I’ve tried a lot of iPad mini cases – Apple’s Smart Cover, Khomo full-body case, sleeves, zipper pouches, and tiny messenger-style bags.  This beautiful iPad mini Sleeve from Mujjo is unlike any I’ve tried before.  It’s a sleeve case, as you can see, but it’s not made of the normal fabric, leather, or faux leather I usually expect.  This case is handmade of thick, 100% wool felt and top-grain 100% vegetable-tanned, hand-dyed leathers.  It looks great, but how does it work?

Click any image for a bigger view.

This Mujjo case is handmade in The Netherlands using sustainable and environmentally -friendly products and processes.  The felt is given a special treatment to prevent pilling, and that treatment combines with the wool’s own properties to make the body of the case water-repellant.

The case is available in the white leather/gray wool combination I asked for and in a brown leather/black wool combination.  I thought the lighter colors would look nice with my white iPad mini, and I found that they do.

The Mujjo sleeve measures 9.75″ X 5.85″ X 0.75″ and weighs 3.3 ounces.  It doesn’t add a lot of weight or bulk to the iPad mini.

You can see from the top photo that the leather flap is held closed by a leather strap that’s been riveted to the sides of the case.  The strap is branded with the words “The Originals”.  There’s no other branding on the front.  The edges of the felt body have been stitched shut with color-matched thread.  You can see another line of stitches on the front that indicate where an interior pocket has been attached.

The back shows the attachment points for the front flap and the closure strap.  The stitching seen in the middle of the back is from a label that’s been sewn inside the larger pocket.

The large interior pocket holds the iPad mini.  Here you see the Mujjo label that’s been sewn on the back of the pocket.

There’s a smaller pocket in the front to hold a charging cable, charger, or a phone.  You can see the thickness of the wool fabric in these interior photos.

Here you see my iPad mini inside the larger pocket.  The mini fits pretty snugly inside.  I tried inserting it wearing the Khomo Super Slim case, but it was too large.  Mujjo says you can fit the iPad mini with the Smart Cover inside.  I think you could also fit the mini wearing a snap-on back cover, but you couldn’t fit it in wearing both the back cover and a Smart Cover.

The felt will protect your screen from being scratched by dust or grit that gets inside the case.  It’s also thick enough to provide some cushioning against bumps.

You can see that the caseless iPad mini plus my iPhone 5 in its Musubo Retro case both fit inside.  The wool felt has enough give that I had no trouble fitting both inside.

I could close the flap with both the iPad mini and the iPhone 5 inside.

I was a little concerned about how my hands would react to the wool felt.  A few years ago, I hand-sewed 20 felt Christmas stockings.  I used craft-grade synthetic felt, and that material dried my hands out so badly that they cracked and bled.  I needn’t have worried about the wool felt, because it is soft to the touch and didn’t dry out my hands at all.

The Mujjo iPad mini Sleeve is a beautiful, functional case.  It’s big enough to hold the mini and a charger and cable or iPhone.  It’s hand-made of environmentally-friendly materials.  It looks sedate enough to use at the office and casual enough to use for knocking around on the weekends.  It’s also surprisingly affordable, considering the quality of the materials and workmanship.  It’s like a wool sweater for your iPad mini.

Although Mujjo is located in The Netherlands, their website is set up to make it easy to order from most anywhere in the world.  Prices are shown in your local currency, and they strive to get your order on its way to you within 24 hours of receiving payment.