Moleskine Ventures Into World Beyond Notebooks

Blank journal manufacturer Moleskine has announced its introduction of products that go well beyond the standard notebook with three new lines that complement their core inventory:

Writing Collection

This collection consists of rectangular pens and pencils designed to clip onto the elastic of and sit flush against your Moleskine notebook. The pens are rollerballs, although they appearto offer the refills in my preferred gel ink format.


The new writing collection of pens and pencils from Moleskine. Photo courtesy of Moleskine.

Pens start at $14.95, but you can go for their metallic one for $49.95. Neither of them are retractable, and the clip is located on the caps. Don’t lose the cap! The pencils are priced at $16.95 come in a pair with a little sharpener.

Reading Collection

Reading glasses that look as simple and elegant as their journals. They’re priced at $49.95, though, which I consider really steep for a pair of readers, since people like to have a whole slew of them everywhere around the house (by the night stand, one at the desk, and so on). But if you’re really married to the design or want one with “Moleskine” stamped on the side, hey, how am I to argue. They also offer an LED booklight for $19.95.

Of more interest to light travelers is their bookstand. Called their E-Reader Stand and priced at $17.95, this stand is large enough to hold an iPad in either direction, but when not used, folds flat to a size of 6.5 inches by 3 inches; that is, just a tad longer than many smartphones. Unless you’ve outfitted your iPad with an always-attached case that has a kickstand, this E-Reader Stand looks like a pretty good option. Because it folds completely flat, you can easily slip it into the back of your iPad tote case or carry-on.

Traveling Collection

Perhaps of most interest to readers is Moleskine’s new collection of bags and packs. If you’re a fan of the clean lines and simplicity of their classic notebooks, you’ll like that they’ve transported that into their line-up of bags.


The Moleskine collection of bags and cases. Photo courtesy of Moleskine.

Take for example their Reporter bag. It literally reminds you of the Moleskine Reporter Notebook; vertical in orientation that opens with a front flap that is closed with a black elastic strap, and a simple and adjustable black shoulder strap. I love the unisex look of this bag. Women could replace their purse with this and it wouldn’t look too bulky. Men could easily use this to carry their stuff around in without worrying about it looking too feminine. At 9.5 x 11.75 x 2.25 inches (24 x 30 x 6 cm), you can easily slip netbooks and iPads in there as well. It’s not a bargain at $99.95, but

If you’re looking for a daily use shoulder bag or purse, I highly recommend checking out this bag.

Moleskine makes a bigger size bag that’s horizontal, which they’re calling their Messenger bag, if the Reporter is too small for your needs.

They’ve also announced other bags, like a tote bag and a simple backpack; those are all worth taking a look at. If you want a laptop case that looks like a giant Moleskine notebook, they’ve got those as well (in 3 sizes).

Finally, if you read the details, it appears that these bags are not made from leather. It’s hard to see how the quality is from their photos (since the items are not yet available to buy), but they describe the exterior as water-repellent, and made from matte black polyurethane on a woven support. The interior is not suede, but instead uses a black terry fabric.

What this means is that unless I’m mistaken, there are no animal products used in these bags, making these vegan-friendly.

To view the details and put in a “notify me when ready” request, go to the U.S. Moleskine store. From most other locations around the world, you should be able to put in a pre-order notification request from their main website.