Apple & Miyake: When co-branding fits like a glove (or a sock)

We all know Steve Jobs had a soft spot for Issey Miyake. Those iconic black turtlenecks? Miyake’s. The designer even appeared in Apple’s Think Different campaign and nearly created an Apple uniform, but the collaboration never quite materialised.

Until now, perhaps. Enter the iPhone Pocket - the brainchild of a new co-branding between Apple and Issey Miyake. Apple says the 3D-knitted construction is ‘designed to fully enclose your iPhone while expanding to fit your everyday items.’

Some say it’ll make it easier to steal. Others say it looks like a sock.
Either way, it’s unmistakably Apple x Miyake.

Co-branding, when done right, creates mutual reinforcement: that perfect intersection where both brands sharpen their distinctiveness without diluting their differentiation.

It’s a strategic exchange - borrowing each other’s mental availability, codes, and credibility to boost salience far beyond what either could achieve alone. Here, Apple draws on Miyake’s aura of minimalist craftsmanship and cultural sophistication, while Miyake plugs into Apple’s global reach and innovation halo. It’s an alliance that feels obvious, almost inevitable.

Ultimately, sales will tell the story. But for now, even if I’m not fully convinced about the pocket, the co-branding seems to fit like a glove (or a sock).