High-End MacBook Leather Sleeve Fits Like Glove at CES

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Natasha_Tegan_Toffee
At CES, Toffee cofounder Natasha Sullivan (left) and Tegan Ledford show off one of the company's popular leather briefcases. The lightweight briefcase has a pair of retractable handles and elastic straps inside to hold the MacBook in place.

LAS VEGAS — I’ve never paid much attention to laptop sleeves, but as they get fancier and fancier, they are becoming perhaps the most popular MacBook accessory out there.

At least, that’s according to one high-end sleeve and case maker from Australia.

“We sell more laptop sleeves than anything else by a long, long way,” said Natasha Sullivan, cofounder of Toffee, which is based in Sydney, Australia. “They want to put the sleeve in bags they already own, their current bag, to protect the computer.”

It’s surprising that someone would buy a fashionable sleeve to hide it inside another bag, and Toffee’s sleeves aren’t cheap. The basic Toffee sleeve is $99.95 — but it is well-made from fine leather, like the rest of Toffee’s line. The luxury market is coming to tech, it seems.

“Buyers are becoming more discerning,” said Toffee’s Tegan Ledford. “Apple’s laptops are fashionable, and you want something to go with it.”

At CES, the company introduced a limited-edition sleeve based on the patterns of Florence Broadhurst, one of Australia’s most famous wallpaper and textile designers. The limited edition sleeve costs $159.95.

Sullivan says a lot of new MacBook owners buy a bag or a sleeve at the same time they buy a new machine.

“We cater to people who want something nice but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on Gucci, Prada and that kind of thing,” she said.

“I’ve been a Mac user for years and years,” Sullivan added. “I was looking for a nice laptop bag and a sleeve for myself, and I couldn’t find anything, so we started this company.”

Natasha Sullivan shows off a popular Toffee tote.

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