Think of Steve Jobs and you can’t help but picture him in black turtlenecks designed by Issey Miyake. Apple’s close rapport with the Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake continues as the two brands have partnered to create an unusual new accessory — the iPhone Pocket, a minimal, textile sleeve designed to hold any iPhone and small essentials. The collaborative product will go on sale on November 14 across select Apple Store locations and online in eight regions, including the UK, the US, Japan, France, Italy, Singapore, South Korea, and Greater China.
At first glance, the iPhone Pocket might seem like a fabric case, but both companies are describing it as an experiment in form and utility. The design takes cues from Issey Miyake’s long-standing “a piece of cloth” philosophy — a concept rooted in creating functional objects from a single, continuous textile rather than assembling multiple components. The result is a seamless 3D-knitted pocket that expands and contracts to fit a phone along with other small items such as keys, cards, or AirPods.
Unlike traditional phone sleeves, the iPhone Pocket features a ribbed open structure reminiscent of the pleated fabric that has defined Issey Miyake’s clothing line since the late 1980s. The textile gently stretches to accommodate what it carries and becomes semi-transparent when extended, subtly revealing the shapes and colours of its contents, including the glow of a phone display.
The product can be worn in several ways — handheld, looped on to a bag, or worn crossbody — and comes in two strap variations: a shorter version in eight colours and a longer version in three. Both models employ a deliberately pared-down aesthetic, continuing Miyake’s focus on minimal form and flexibility in use.
Yoshiyuki Miyamae, design director at Miyake Design Studio, said the goal was to explore “the joy of wearing an iPhone in your own way.” He described the design as “a bond between iPhone and its user” and an example of how leaving objects “less defined” can open up new interpretations of everyday functionality.
For Apple, the collaboration fits into a broader pattern of limited partnerships with leading fashion and design houses — from Hermès’ Apple Watch straps to the earlier collaborations with Nike and Beats. Molly Anderson, Apple’s vice president of Industrial Design, called the iPhone Pocket “a natural accompaniment” to the company’s existing products, saying that it reflects “craftsmanship, simplicity, and delight” while offering users new ways to personalise their devices.
The impact of Issey Miyake on Apple employees could have been greater had Jobs gone along with his plan to have Miyake create a uniform for all Apple employees.
iPhone 17 Pro Max seen inside the iPhone Pocket
Author Walter Isaacson has detailed how the idea for an Apple uniform came from a trip to Japan in the 1980s when Jobs visited Sony and saw that all workers in the factories were wearing matching uniforms.
"He (Akio Morita, then chairman of Sony) looked very ashamed and told me that after the war, no one had any clothes, and companies like Sony had to give their workers something to wear each day," Jobs told Isaacson.
Miyake partnered with Sony to create a taupe nylon jacket that easily converted into a vest courtesy of removable sleeves.
"I decided that I wanted that type of bonding for Apple," Jobs said.
"So I called Issey and asked him to design a vest for Apple. I came back with some samples and told everyone it would be great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea."
The iPhone Pocket was designed and crafted in Japan, where Issey Miyake’s research and development teams have long experimented with three-dimensional textile structures. The 3D-knitting technique used for the accessory eliminates seams and minimises material waste, aligning with both brands’ focus on precision engineering and sustainable production methods.
iPhone Pocket is a limited-edition release. The short strap design is available in lemon, mandarin, purple, pink, peacock, sapphire, cinnamon, and black; the long strap design is available in sapphire, cinnamon, and black. iPhone Pocket in the short strap design retails at $149.95 (in the US), and the long strap design at $229.95 (in the US).