The Puffer Case

The Puffer Case is a new iPhone case that looks similar to the comfy jackets pioneered by the iconic The North Face brand. Just like the puffer jackets sold by The North Face, the phone covers have several rows of padded and slightly elevated texture.

The Puffer Case gained a lot of interest after artist Dua Lipa posted selfies with her phone dressed in a puffer case. Since then, the case became a new trend among Gen-Z and can be purchased online.

Kendal Jenner was also spotted with the Puffer Case. In this article we explore the Puffer Case, show you where you can purchase it and take a look at all the hype surrounding it.

The Puffer Case Original Edition

According to some reports, the original puffer case was created by the Gen-Z brand Urban Sophistication. Urban Sophistication also holds the trademark. Dua Lipa and Kendal Jenner were spotted with this version of the puffer case.

This version features a logo of a smiling stickman and stickwoman.

Although the puffer case is more expensive than your typical phone case, many people love the look of the cover and are happy to pay a premium for a comfy and padded case. Many news sites and magazines cite Urban Sophistication as the inventors of the puffer case.

If you want to get the original puffer case, you can get it on Urban Sophistication.

However, as we dug deeper, we also found versions of the popular case on Amazon and other websites for a lot cheaper. It appears that many vendors are selling a version of the case on their own sites and through third-party marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and Aliexpress.

Is the Case Linked to The North Face Brand?

Since the case looks strikingly similar to The North Face’s iconic Nuptse puffer jacket, it’s no surprise that some online sellers are offering a case with the North Face logo.

The site PufferCase.store offers the branded case. But after doing some research, it seems like The North Face doesn’t manufacture or sell these cases themselves. This means, cases with The North Face logo are likely a trademark infringement.

Offering branded products without the explicit permission of the brand is usually a copyright or trademark infringement.

Although the branded puffer case can be purchased online, it’s probably best to get a non-branded case instead. We already showed you where you can get the original puffer case sold by the Urban Sophistication brand.

Amazon Sellers and Chinese Vendors

A variety of versions of the popular case can be found on Amazon. However, most of these sellers have the words “Urban Sophistication” blurred out, likely because they worry about trademark infringement.

Several Chinese vendors are selling the case on Amazon for cheaper. They use almost the same logo as Urban Sophistication with the smiling stickman and stickwoman.

But there is one difference: Next to the term “The Puffer Case” and below the stickmen, there’s a bar that seems to have carried the words “Urban Sophistication”. These words are blurred out on all Amazon product pictures.

However, when looking at product pictures posted by customers, the words can still be seen on the cover. It appears as if many vendors are still selling the case but have simply blurred out the words on the product picture.

In the future, this will likely not suffice anymore since Urban Sophistication LLC also holds the trademark for the term “The Puffer Case”.

Premium iPhone Case or Cheap Chinese Product: A Strange Comparison

To our surprise, we could find several vendors selling a version of the case on the Chinese wholesale site Aliexpress.

Aliexpress is a marketplace where Chinese wholesalers offer products straight from the production line and factories to consumers. Sometimes resellers “drop ship” these products and mark them up.

The Puffer Case Amazon
Premium case or cheap Chinese product?

On other occasions, Chinese sellers might be reproducing or using trademarked and branded items and selling counterfeit items on Aliexpress for $2-$5 each. However, Urban Sophistication is selling their “original” case for $65 each as a premium item.

Who Is the Original Creator of The Puffer Case?

According to a company in the Netherlands, which operates the website thepuffercase.eu, they are the creators of the original case. At least this is the claim made on the about section of the website.

Unlike the case sold by Urban Sophistication, this version of the padded phone case contains the words “The Puffer Case” with three bended lines. The logo looks strikingly similar to The North Face logo, which likely carries its own trademark implications.

Versions of this case can also be found on Amazon and Aliexpress, although more sparingly. It seems that there are many trademark implications surrounding the trendy case.

From branded versions featuring The North Face logo, which appear to be infringing on the outdoor brand’s intellectual property, to a “turf war” surrounding who was the original inventor and many resellers that appear to sell the case without permission.

With that being said, let’s talk about the case itself.

The Puffer Case Review: Does the Phone Cover Live Up to the Hype?

After Dua Lipa and Kendal Jenner posed with the case on Instagram, many fans went crazy over the iPhone cases and wanted to get one for themselves.

Regarding the quality of the case, there are mixed reviews and ratings depending on the vendor. Most of the vendors on Amazon, which appear to be selling the phone case without the permission to do so, don’t have the best reviews.

Some people have complained on Amazon that the phone cover is a bit slippery. Others mentioned that after a few months the cover started to break down and look old and used.

The Puffer Case Review
The Puffer Case review

Obviously, how durable your case is depends on how well you take care of it. Overall, you shouldn’t necessarily purchase the case for durability and protection. This case is more of a fashion statement.

The Puffer Case by Urban Sophistication has by far the highest number of positive reviews of all vendors we could find. Since they also hold the trademark, you probably can’t go wrong with ordering from Urban Sophistication.

Final note: If you’re looking for the best protective and most durable case, you might want to consider a different product. But if you want to give your phone a trendy, cute and fashionable puffer “jacket”, this case is perfect.

What’s Inside The Puffer Case?

According to Urban Sophistication’s website, the case is made of polyurethane material. This supposedly gives it some water resistant properties and added protection. The case also has raised edges to protect the screen.

The puffer case is currently only available for iPhones. As stated already earlier, the case is more of a fashion statement than a protective or durable case though.

Who Invented The Puffer Case?

Looking up the trademarks for both Urban Sophistication and The Puffer Case, both wordmarks are registered to an Isreaeli company called Urban Sophistication LLC, with headquarters in Tel Aviv Israel.

We couldn’t find out who was first to sell the case or who invented it. There are also several versions of the case being sold online. Some of them feature the Urban Sophistication logo with a bar below and the words “Urban Sophistication”.

The Urban Sophistication brand itself only contains the logo with the smiling stickman and woman and the words Urban Sophistication lower down on some phone cases.

Some other vendors sell the case with The North Face logo. Again others sell the case without the Urban Sophistication logo or text, simply with the text “The Puffer Case” and three bent lines, similar to The North Face Logo.

This version of the case is available on a site called thepuffercase.eu, run by a company in the Netherlands. The site claims “We are the original creators of The Puffer Case” in their about section.

However, the trademark has been registered since the beginning of January 2022 by Urban Sophistication LLC, with “first use” being cited as far back as 2019.

During our research, we found some conflicting claims about who is the “original” creator. There are also many different vendors offering their own version of the case. It appears that there’s a “turf war” surrounding the trademark of both Urban Sophistication and The Puffer Case.

Summary

The Puffer Case is a new trendy iPhone cover. Celebrities like Dua Lipa, Kendal Jenner and Justin Bieber have posed with the cover on Instagram. Ever since that, interest for the cover that looks like the iconic puffer jacket by The North Face peaked.

Some sources mentioned that the case started as a joke. However, today the case is met by serious interest. Urban Sophistication LLC, an Israeli company, registered the trademark for the terms “The Puffer Case” and “Urban Sophistication”.

Although the case is available and for sale on many sites like Amazon, Aliexpress and other third-party marketplaces, most of them are now blurring out the term “Urban Sophistication” from product pictures.

Which one is the original? Both Urban Sophistication and a company from the Netherlands claim to have created the original case.

Regardless of what is true, we hope you enjoyed this article.

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