Apple users already spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a new device. Now, Apple wants consumers to dress those phones up, too.
The company has partnered with renowned Japanese fashion brand Issey Miyake to launch the iPhone Pocket. The accessory has already generated buzz online for its minimalist look and high price.
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A collaborative design with a fashion legacy
The iPhone Pocket comes in two versions. The short strap design costs $149.95, and the long strap design costs $229.95. Both use the brand’s signature 3D knit textile.
“The principle was that you knitted these tubes of cloth and then could cut them to make clothes that would fit anybody,” Hazel Clark, professor of design studies and fashion studies at the Parsons School of Design, told Straight Arrow News. “It represents an innovation, and it shows how the brand has always been cutting edge in terms of textile development, design and technology.”
She notes that the Miyake brand has carried international credibility since the 1970s.
The pocket’s material also ties directly to the brand’s decades of experimentation. Clark says the 3D knit technique was introduced in the late 1990s as part of Miyake’s “A Piece of Cloth” initiative. The approach used knitted fabric tubes that could be cut into garments tailored to fit many body types.
“Technologically, that represents innovation, and it shows Miyake has always been cutting edge in textile development,” she said.
Is Apple leaning into fashion trends?
Apple products have long functioned as fashion items. iPhones come in seasonal colors and appear regularly in lifestyle photos on Pinterest and Instagram.
Clark says that reputation is part of Apple’s strategy.
“When they bring out a new phone, it’s not just the features, but the fact that it looks new,” she said. “This is just an extension of what they do, and what they do well.”
Apple’s design team said in a press release that the iPhone Pocket was created to serve as an additional pocket. Yoshiyuki Miyamae, design director of Miyake Design Studio, said the accessory reflects “the joy of wearing iPhone in your own way.”
This collaboration also fits into a larger pattern across fashion and retail. Clark pointed out that unexpected partnerships are common and often successful. She referenced Supreme and Louis Vuitton, as well as novelty pairings like KFC and Crocs.
She also noted that high-low partnerships have a long history. Karl Lagerfeld set an early precedent in 2004 when he designed a collection for H&M.
How do pockets and purses influence the way people carry phones?
Online commenters have questioned everything, from the accessory’s cost to its practicality.
On Reddit, some commenters raised safety concerns, noting that the open pocket may make the accessory an easy target for theft.
“At $149-$230 for this phone sock, Apple is the actual thief,” one user wrote.
Others joked they could ask their grandmother to knit one for them instead of paying Apple and Miyake’s price.
For consumers who view the iPhone Pocket as unnecessary, Clark says the concept is not new. People wore mobile phones on their bodies in the 1990s, using belt holsters and clip-on cases.
Beyond that, the pocket has a long fashion lineage.
“Purses began as pockets worn under women’s garments before moving to the outside,” Clark said. “[The iPhone Pocket] goes back to the functional nature of pockets.”
Purses today range from oversized totes to tiny bags meant to hold little more than a phone. Clark said the purpose of a bag is often as much about aesthetics as about practicality.
“There’s so much status in the bag someone carries,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t actually need them. They’re just carried to finish off an outfit.”
The iPhone Pocket is available for purchase on Nov. 14 in the U.S., France, Greater China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the U.K.
