Steve Jobs’ black turtleneck, blue jeans and sneakers became almost as recognizable as the Apple products he unveiled, but the uniform began with an idea Jobs originally wanted the entire company to adopt.
The story, recounted by Jobs to biographer Walter Isaacson, began during a visit to Sony in Japan. Jobs noticed that employees wore company uniforms and asked Sony chairman Akio Morita why.
Jobs became interested in the idea that clothing could help create a shared identity among employees. He asked Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who had designed a uniform for Sony, to create a vest for Apple employees.
The idea went nowhere. Apple employees disliked the proposed corporate uniform, and Jobs abandoned the plan.
But his relationship with Miyake continued. Jobs decided that having a personal uniform offered convenience while also giving him a recognizable identity, and asked the designer to make black mock turtlenecks for him.
According to the account later published from Isaacson’s biography, Miyake made Jobs around 100 of the shirts. Jobs reportedly showed Isaacson the stack in his closet and said he had enough to last for the rest of his life.
The turtleneck became part of Jobs’ public image during Apple’s most consequential product era. He paired it with Levi’s 501 jeans and New Balance sneakers for many of the company’s most famous presentations, including launches during the iPod, iPhone and iPad years.
Jobs’ original attempt to give Apple employees a uniform was forgotten by many, but the personal uniform that came from it became one of the most recognizable looks in technology.