Apple and Issey Miyake Launch iPhone Pocket,Bridging Tech and High Fashion
CUPERTINO,CA - November 13,2024 – Apple today announced a collaboration with Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake,resulting in the “iPhone Pocket”-a new accessory designed to seamlessly integrate the smartphone into personal style. The accessory, available in short and long strap versions, launches Friday, November 14th at select Apple Store locations and online at apple.com.
The iPhone pocket marks a notable shift for Apple, signaling a growing recognition of the phone as an extension of personal expression. Inspired by traditional Japanese rice paper candy bags given during children’s festivals-symbolizing wishes for a healthy life-the packaging itself embodies a sense of ceremony and anticipation. “The idea is that you’re opening a gift that’s full of candy,” explains Issey Miyake designer Masaru Miyamae.
The collaboration extends beyond aesthetics. Apple’s vice president of product marketing, Kaori anderson, notes the changing ways people interact with their devices. “The way that people carry and style their products has changed and is becoming even more of an expression of yourself,” she says. “It allows us to be a bit more playful in terms of color,branding,and material…and to flex a little bit into other spaces.We’ve certainly learned things in the process, which perhaps influences our next round of packaging or next round of product.”
The partnership carries a deeper resonance, connecting the legacies of Apple’s Steve Jobs and Issey Miyake.”Both these great masterminds are now gone, but what we have in common is how we continue to challenge ourselves to be innovative, and to create new and original things,” Miyamae stated. “It’s a moment of connecting the dots.”
The iPhone pocket short strap will retail for $149.95 (U.S.) and the long strap for $229.95 (U.S.).
