I don’t know about you guys, but as a Switch console owner, I am personally very uncomfortable taking my Switch out of the house. I feel a lot better knowing it is safe at home, compared to out and about with me; I’m always paranoid that it will be damaged or scratched somehow.
But then, I came across this Florida-based store while exploring Etsy for a neat-looking Switch case, and was happy to see their cool selection. Storeowners Kris and Tasia run K Daesign, an Etsy shop that specializes in “geeky shirts and handmade cases.”
Many of the Switch cases at K Daesign are inspired by the super-powered fighters in Arms (including Min Min, Twintelle, Spring Man, and more), but some of them feature icons from other Switch titles such as Splatoon 2 and the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. For my birthday earlier this month, my fiancé purchased their Kid Cobra case, who is easily my favorite character in Arms. Honestly, I really appreciate the fantastic craftsmanship that went into this case.
A closer look at my Kid Cobra-inspired case by K Daesign.
You can buy cases inspired by the fighter’s alternate skins, but I ended up picking his original one. The attention to detail, such as his different colored eyes and the scaly texture of his arms, really make it pop in terms of appearance. It fits my Nintendo Switch perfectly, making it snug, secure, and safe from scratches. However, because the case is built to fit only portable console, a device with a protective case might not fit inside this one.
Regardless, this is now one of my favorite Nintendo items I own. I am excited to rep my favorite Arms fighter while out and about, free from the worry that my console will be scratched. So, as my awesome Switch case was in the process of being built, I decided to get to know a little bit more about Kris, Tasia, and their awesome, homemade items.
Another look at K Daesign’s Kid Cobra Nintendo Switch case.
Q: How long have you been creating your Switch cases? What made you decide you wanted to build and sell these cases?
A: “It all started when we first picked up the Nintendo Switch. We got the Zelda Master’s edition and it came with a Shiekah Slate case. It was nice, but it was not practical for us to use on a daily basis. It was big and didn’t fit well in either of our bags. I wanted a small case. I shopped online and found quite a few cases, but none of them really were what I was looking for. That’s when I decided to make my first case. We had some left over felt from a project we did with our kids so I started cutting and hot gluing some stuff together. I asked Tasia to sew the pieces together and thus the first Shiekah Slate case was born. Looking back on it, it’s not so pretty, but it was a start. It was a good case, but I didn’t like that it opened from the side, I wanted a top sliding case so I wouldn’t have to take the whole thing out of my backpack every time I used it. That’s when I designed the first Champion’s Tunic case.”
K Daesign’s first Sheikah Slate case compared to their re-designed one.
Q: What’s the creative process behind the Switch cases? How do you build them?
A: “First, I draw sketches of how I want them to look. Then I bring those sketches into an embroidery digitizing software. From there I redraw the lines and create the stitches. The hardest part is deciding what is going to be applique and what is going to be embroidery fill for the color applications. Usually, from here, I do a few test prints. After all the parts are printed, I then go through the process of piecing them together to show the design that I want. Usually at this point I stay up really late and sew all the pieces together myself. This takes me quite some time as I’m not the greatest with the sewing machine.
The next morning I show the finished case to my wife and we take some pictures and put them up for sale. From here on out I do the embroidery and she does the sewing. Her sewing is much better than mine. We keep all of the prototypes that I make myself because, well, they’re not so great. My wife does a much better job at finalizing the pieces.”
Kris and Tasia are both huge gaming and Nintendo fans. Their store has a total of 18 cases and t-shirts that are inspired by the company’s franchises. And the two of them were so kind to us at Need Nintendo, they are offering our readers a 15% off discount on any of their store items. Simply follow this link to receive your discount, or use the coupon code NEEDNINTENDO at checkout. The coupon ends September 6th.
Feel free to check out more of K Daesign’s kickass work at their Etsy store and Instagram.
What are your thoughts on K Daesign’s Switch cases? Which one is your favorite? Share with us in the comments below!
“Meet the Artist” is a subsection of articles written by Need Nintendo writer and administrator Hannah Fortney. Any reviews or quotes displayed have been authorized by the artist or storeowner indicated in this article. If you would like to be featured in our “Meet the Artist” segment, please contact us via e-mail or Facebook message.
