What is Casetify and what have been its most famous commercial collaborations

Casetify (stylized as CASETiFY) has become an example of how Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial spirit can identify a market need and turn it into a multimillion-dollar company with a global presence and millions of dollars in profits.

Today, we want to tell you the story of a company that began when its founders could not find a suitable case for their iPhones.

The Birth of Casetify

In 2011, friends Wesley Ng and Ronald Yeung bought an iPhone 11. However, when they wanted to protect it, they were disappointed by the lack of good options on the market. At the same time, Ng discovered the wonderful world of Instagram, which was just beginning to take off as a social network where users could share photos with friends—whether of themselves, their coffee, or the view from their window.

This inspired Ng to think, “Wouldn’t it be great to turn beautiful photos into real products?” This idea would allow people to express themselves through customizable products.

According to Ng, who was then an art director at Now TV, Sky’s digital television service, the phone case options available “completely ruined Apple’s sleek, modern design” and were simply not his style.

With this idea in mind, Ng and Yeung created an app called Casetigram, the precursor to Casetify, which allowed users to turn their Instagram photos into custom phone cases.

This blend of social media and technology quickly captured public attention, and the newly created company received excellent reviews from the international press, including The New York Times, TechCrunch, and Mashable.

British chef Jamie Oliver was one of the first celebrities to popularize the brand by posting about his experience on Twitter and Instagram, which drove massive traffic to Casetify’s website. It was at this point that Ng decided to leave his job and focus on the company full-time.

 

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Una publicación compartida de Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver)

Today, Casetify has expanded to have a presence in over a hundred countries, selling more than 15 million tech accessory cases worldwide, generating approximately 300 million dollars in revenue in 2022, and collaborating with some of the world’s leading artists and companies.

Product customization

One of the keys to Casetify’s success is that it empowers artists to unleash their creativity and use its cases as a canvas to express—and monetize—their artistic vision. The company collaborates with artists such as Ann Marie Coolick, Marta Olga Klara, Artiisan, I Scream Colour, Bodil Jane, and many more.

Beyond this, Casetify allows users to fully personalize their accessories through its platform and physical studios, called Co-Labs. At these locations, customers can select the print or design, case color, or custom text they want to include, with options to choose the font, style, and color of the text.

Staying true to its roots, Casetify also enables users to add photo grids with various design options, incorporating images from social media or their device. With thousands of designs available, Casetify continues to launch new, innovative options for its audience.

Browsing the online store is simple; users can view all active collaborations in their region, explore the customization area, and see which devices are compatible with available designs.

Currently, Casetify has 28 physical stores, most of which are located in Asia, and it plans to open 100 stores by 2025, with 25 of those in the United States.

Collaborations and Collections

While Casetify initially focused on designing cases for iPhones, it quickly expanded to offer protective cases for Android devices as well. It now provides a range of accessories for iPods, iPads, MacBooks, AirPods cases, laptops, and more, with models available for Apple, Samsung, and Google Pixel phones.

Over the years, Casetify has successfully kept up with trends popular among Millennials and Gen Z, leading to collaborations with numerous high-profile celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and members of the K-pop group BTS.

Casetify has skillfully identified opportunities to capture user attention by partnering with iconic companies like Disney, recreating various beloved animated characters on its products.

In 2021, Casetify partnered with Market, the cult streetwear brand known for its smiley face prints, to create five designs for the iPhone 13 series. These designs featured signature elements from the brand, including the Acid House Smiley, the Market Basketball, and Jeff Gluck’s iconic slogan, “Call My Lawyer.”

Similarly, in early 2024, Casetify teamed up with Lucasfilm to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. This collection featured designs inspired by Stormtroopers, Darth Vader’s helmet, and the Empire symbol. Products arrived in laser-engraved, Death Star-shaped aluminum boxes or leather cases embossed with Darth Vader’s image, offering a unique experience for Star Wars fans.

Casetify’s most recent collaboration is with the Japanese toy company Dreams6, creator of the popular Sonny Angels—adorable baby figurines with fruit and animal hats that can be used as mobile accessories. Together, Casetify and Dreams6 developed a collection that includes a phone case, a charm, and a surprise box containing a phone case with a matching Sonny Angel from the Hippers collection.

Legal issues

Naturally, after more than a decade in business, Casetify has also faced some legal challenges.

In November 2023, YouTuber Zack Nelson, known as JerryRigEverything, announced he would be filing a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit against Casetify in Canada alongside the company Dbrand. Nelson alleged that Casetify had plagiarized his 2019 custom “Teardown” case line in creating Casetify’s “Inside Out” product line.

In response, Casetify attempted to defend itself on X (formerly Twitter), but a community note clarified that several of Casetify’s products appear “coincidentally” very similar to Dbrand’s designs.

pic.twitter.com/dNW4zuOvMT

— CASETiFY (@Casetify) November 24, 2023

For now, there are no further updates regarding this controversy.