Apple and Issey Miyake Launch the Stylish “iPhone Pocket” — A Blend of Fashion and Technology
Apple has also unobtrusively ventured into fashion with a commemorative piece of accessories namely the pocket, co-created with Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake. The product combines device-first thinking of Apple and textile skills of Issey Miyake and creates a stretchy, pleating sleeve that is supposed to hold an iPhone and several daily items like a phone.
According to Apple, the iphone pocket
is designed based on a piece of cloth and is constructed of a single 3D-knitted piece which grows to fit an iPhone, Air Pods and other small assorted items and at the same time gives you a glimpse of the display when the iphone is in a stretched position. The short version is meant to be put on a bag or a wrist yet longer cross body can be made so that it is worn across the body as a mini sling. Apple stated that the first product is to be available on November 14, 2025, at a few Apple stores and online on apple.com.
The designer positioning of the collaboration is supported by design and pricing. The short straps model costs at $149.95 and also available in bright colors whereas the longer cross body style pocket costs about 229.95 and comes in more neutral colors to blend with iphone finishes. The language of design used in packaging and presentation is based on the design language used by Issey Miyake and Apple also emphasizes that this collaboration is a collision of minimalism between both teams.
The tie-up is culturally resonant as illustrated by the fashion press coverage. The most famous thing about Issey Miyake is the innovations of pleats, and the dressing of cultural figures; combining that with the Apple product ecosystem generated tremendous coverage in both the fashion and technology media. The release was framed by Vogue and design sites as the sign of how tech accessories can enter the high-fashion realm with a series of playful allusions to the 2004 iPod Socks by Apple.
Social media was divided the moment the pocket pictures were leaked. Certain commentators lauded the accessory as a happy, wearable alternative to the huge bags; many wondered about the value proposition behind a product that amounts to a knitted phone case in an expensive package. Indian and UK commentary have noted pricing that becomes several thousand rupees on the short model that is localized and the discussion has been on accessibility versus designeropulence.
Technically it is a very basic product: a stretchy ribbed fabric with a strap built in the knit, and a shape that reminds of the pleated work of Issey Miyake. The product pages on Apple display close-ups of the knit structure and exude that the color coordination was given due attention such that the pocket will be used with the available colors in iphones. The partnership, which was attributed to the design director of Issey Miyake,
Yoshiyuki Miyamae, in press interviews, was said to have been inspired by the desire to be simple, and the thought of wearing an iPhone in a different manner.
In addition to the aesthetic element of it, critics believe that the launch is a clever branding exercise.
Apple has been a long time user of high-end accessories to support its image of lifestyle; the partnership is the latest of the designer tie-ups that the company has done since its other select fashion collaborations. As it is observed, price points and limited runs can make the desirability increasing with a relatively small utility. The pocket doubles up as a statement piece and not a phone carrier.
To the shoppers who might be interested in the collaboration, the results of a search of pocket issey miyake will give the official newsroom post of Apple and retail outlets in addition to fashion news. Depending on the country of location and the shops the colors, sizes and the launch date of the product will be available; the colors, sizes and launch date of the product will be official in the press release of Apple and in the product pages. In the contemporary world of Apple news, the launch and any subsequent news will be published on Apple Newsroom and reported by technology media immediately.
Summary: the pocket is a tiny, high-end wearable tech accessory experiment – a knit pouch that makes a statement on a person and can be used as a conversation topic. That the iPhone will become a popular carry solution or a gimmick honoring the Apple design heritage will hinge on how customers react to the cost and the fun aspect of carrying your iPhone on your wrist literally. In the meantime, the partnership is symbolic of the way Apple is becoming more and more overlapping its product design with runway sensibility, and it is one of the things that will appear in apple news today roundups at least through the next couple of weeks.
References: Apple Newsroom, the verge, business insider, MacRumors and local media.
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