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The struggle of having a big laptop always hit me the most when it came to finding cute sleeves or bags for it. Going to the store I was always presented a range of boring, grey, chunky and heavy bags that would fit my laptop. But then I stumbled across a sleeve that fit not only my laptop but other accessories at Ethnic near their customisation corner in a newly launched store at Dolmen Mall, Karachi.

Ideally when you think of everything a laptop sleeve should have, you would want enough space to fit in accessories like a charger, a USB, a hard drive, headphones etc and this is where Ethnic’s laptop sleeve gets extra points because it can fit all of this.

The first thing that caught my attention was the finish. Made of high quality leather, the bag is in a huge envelope shape that is accessorised by two gold buttons on the flap and a zipper on the inside. When I asked a salesperson for the measurement, I was told that the bag is almost 17 inches in width. I knew then that I wouldn’t regret buying this pretty looking bag for my laptop that’s both cute and functional.

The laptop sleeve comes in several other shades like black, pastel yellow, pink, red and blue, however, tan was my top choice just because it complemented the gold details of the sleeve. The smooth leather sleeve got the stamp of approval from my family as well who are now convinced this is a great gift for anyone who loves technology and travels with their gear.

Space wise, I was able to fit my laptop, its charger, a laptop stand, hard-drive, multiple USBs, a small notebook, earpods and headphones. But despite adding all of this in, the bag didn’t get too heavy or bulky, unlike a conventional laptop bag.

The price of the sleeve starts from Rs3,800. There are options of customisation and if you do choose to customise your laptop sleeve, then the price increases. I chose to keep it simple and did not customise it because embroidered patches aren’t my thing. Perhaps something with permanent artwork on the sleeve or a metal element or even printing would’ve worked for me, but the embroidery option doesn’t attract me.

What I would’ve liked more was if the sleeve had not just one but two storage spaces. This way I can add more in the storage compartment of the bag instead of shoving it and making it look out of place and chunky. If the brand introduces more accessories, I would love to buy a small pouch or a bag organiser to keep things in place. Another suggestion is that the items in-store need to be made available online.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This article is part of an ongoing series on supporting local products. All the products are independently evaluated and reviewed by a member of the Images team and reflect their personal opinions. If you’re a local business and would like to be featured, reach out to us at imagesdawndotcom@gmail.com.