Apple Inc. has unveiled a new collaboration with Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake, marking the tech giant’s first partnership with a fashion brand since the 2015 launch of the Apple Watch Hermès.
The new product dubbed the iPhone Pocket combines cutting-edge technology and minimalist design to create a stylish yet functional accessory for the modern smartphone user.
The iPhone Pocket, described as a “curious-looking rectangle of 3D-knitted fabric,” is designed to hold any model of iPhone, along with small essentials such as AirPods or lip balm.
The accessory will be available in two lengths a shorter version that can be worn on the wrist or tied as a bag charm, and a longer one that can be worn cross-body.
It will also come in a variety of colors,three for the long design and eight for the short, ranging from bold shades such as mandarin orange and peacock blue to muted neutrals.
“At first glance, you probably wouldn’t recognize what it is,” said Yoshiyuki Miyamae, design director of the Miyake Design Studio.
“It was like a jazz session. Everyone brainstormed and asked, ‘how can we develop it further?’, ‘should we take it in this direction or that?’ There was a mutual respect and understanding that made the process really efficient and productive.” Miyamae added.
Miyamae, who leads A-POC ABLE, the label inspired by the late Issey Miyake’s A Piece of Cloth concept, personally selected a team of designers from across the brand to work on the project.
The team developed prototypes some made from paper in origami style before collaborating with Apple’s industrial design division in Cupertino.
Molly Anderson, Apple’s vice president of industrial design, said the collaboration evolved naturally.
“We didn’t start with the idea of a collaboration, and in fact it really wasn’t the intention,” she explained.
“We were interested in how they (at Issey Miyake)work, to see what we could learn from them, and the other way around.” Anderson noted.
Anderson described the creative process as “a very organic relationship in terms of the personalities working together, without hierarchy, or without feeling like there was a pressure of expertise or scale or knowledge, but really a meeting of minds.”
Color coordination between the two brands also happened serendipitously. The mandarin tone proposed by Miyamae’s team closely resembled Apple’s unreleased Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 hue.
“We realized that the things that resonate with us are really very similar to things that resonate with them, so that was a lovely moment for us,” Anderson said.
The packaging, inspired by Japanese rice paper candy bags traditionally given to children during festivals, adds a ceremonial touch.
“The idea is that you’re opening a gift that’s full of candy,” Miyamae said, describing the unboxing experience.
According to Anderson, the iPhone Pocket reflects how technology and fashion continue to merge.
“The way that people carry and style their products has changed and is becoming even more of an expression of yourself,” she said.
“Working with a fashion house like Issey Miyake helps Apple adapt to the shift. 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.”
Both Miyamae and Anderson noted that the project honors the shared spirit of innovation embodied by the late Steve Jobs and Issey Miyake, who were known to admire each other’s work.
“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 said.
The iPhone Pocket will be available from Friday, November 14, at select Apple Stores worldwide and online at apple.com, with the short strap retailing at $149.95and the long strap at $229.95.
