Love it or laugh at it, Apple x Issey Miyake’s $299 iPhone Pocket is already sold out in US store
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Decades after their founders connected, Apple and Issey Miyake released a collection of phone pouches that have some people baffled.
PHOTO: APPLE
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NEW YORK – Early Nov 14, a crowd of people lined up outside Apple’s SoHo location in New York to be among the first to get their hands on a new, limited-edition product: an up to US$230 (S$299) iPhone pouch the company said is “inspired by the concept of a piece of cloth”.
The iPhone Pocket, as it is called, is a wearable smartphone sling made in collaboration with Issey Miyake, the famed Japanese label that created the signature black turtleneck often worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
But the fashion brand also has a loyal following in its own right, which helps explain the queue of customers who treated the launch like a drop from Supreme or Nike.
“It’s so cool design-wise because it’s designed by Issey Miyake,” said Lee Aizner, a 26-year-old women’s fashion designer in New York City. “As a designer, I love it. I heard it was sold out and it makes me immediately want to have it.”
Aizner, who owns several Issey Miyake items, including a blouse and pants, hoped to buy one of the longer ones in black, but it sold out minutes before she arrived.
Available in two sizes – short (US$150) and long (US$230) – the Pocket comes in a rainbow of colours and has a 3D-knitted construction designed to fit an iPhone of any size. It can stretch to add small items, like AirPods or lip balm, but it can look slightly odd from the outside when extra items are stuffed in.
It closely resembles a karate belt in both texture and size and can be worn several ways, including over the body, tied to a bag or held by hand.
Apple’s website lists only 10 retail locations worldwide that will sell the product in stores, and the SoHo location is the only one in the US. The others include major cities such as London, Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris.
The iPhone Pocket was also available for purchase online, but all colour options and sizes were listed as sold out for delivery as at Nov 14 morning.
Mr Owen Sanders, 29, managed to buy the last short pink iPhone Pocket at the SoHo location for his wife. “She’s a fan of the designer,” he said. “Every time somebody puts on a black turtleneck, people are like, ‘You look like Steve Jobs.’ And that’s because of Miyake and that is very meaningful.”
The tech giant has a history of offering premium – and sometimes polarising – add-ons, from a US$19 polishing cloth to a US$999 monitor stand.
It has lately been interested in the idea of people wearing its phones. In September, it introduced an accessory that turns the device into a crossbody purse, marking its entry into a trend that has been popular in Asia for years.
An undated promotional image from Apple of color options for the new iPhone Pocket.
PHOTO: APPLE
The iPhone Pocket is also reminiscent of a product Apple sold more than 20 years ago called the iPod Sock, which came in a multipack for US$29.
Social media reaction to the iPhone Pocket announcement earlier last week has been critical, with some Reddit commenters saying it feels out of touch in a tough economy.
Others also mocked the launch. “Thought this was parody,” one commenter wrote, followed by another who said, “Is it April Fools’ Day?”
The Miyake fans do not expect the rest of the world to understand.
Mr Michael Josh, a content creator who wore a navy pleated Miyake suit for the occasion and bought several iPhone Pockets, said some people may not get the hype, but he believes the accessories are like owning a piece of art or a fashion collectible. BLOOMBERG
