Even though Steve Jobs died several years
ago, the iconic founder of Apple still holds
a place in the memories of many tech users.
But for all his creativity, he always wore
the same black turtleneck.
Here's Steve Jobs' uniform finally explained.
Jobs' life story, of course, is one for the
ages.
A foster child who became a college dropout,
his creative vision and funding proved instrumental
in revolutionizing the personal computer,
MP3 players, cell phones, the animation industry,
and more.
His personal life was certainly messy and
problematic, with a daughter he refused to
recognize for years and, as multiple films
have highlighted, a history of abusive behavior
toward friends and employees.
But there's no arguing his impact on culture,
society, and the world.
In a world increasingly loaded with titans
of technology, Jobs stood out from the crowd.
At least one key aspect of his iconography
was the famous black turtleneck sweater he
wore every time he stepped before a big glittering
screen.
Why that minimalistic look, though?
What might cause a man with so much creative
vision to wear the exact same outfit every
day?
It all started in Japan.
When Jobs visited there in the 1980s, he loved
how all of Sony's employees wore a uniform,
and he decided that getting Apple's staff
to do the same thing would be a great way
to build team solidarity.
He sought out Issey Miyake, who had designed
the Sony outfits, and commissioned Apple uniforms
consisting of a nylon vest with removable
sleeves.
When he excitedly brought these outfits back
to the U.S., they weren't exactly welcomed
with open arms.
As he later told his biographer Walter Isaacson,
"Oh man, did I get booed off the stage."
"How about we save it for the last night?"
"Of our lives?"
Even though the Apple team roundly rejected
the idea of dressing like a bunch of 1960s
Starfleet officers, Jobs didn't quite give
up on the idea.
Back then, he was known for having a quite
dapper and stylish sense of fashion, ranging
from leather jackets to bow ties.
But he saw the potential power in creating
a definitive, iconic look for himself that
could also represent Apple as a whole.
The more he thought about it, the more he
liked the idea of wearing his own uniform,
both for its stylistic components and its
convenience.
Since he had maintained a friendship with
Miyake, he eventually bit the bullet and had
the designer make him a whole bundle of identical
black turtlenecks.
Jobs chose the black turtleneck because he
liked the style, and according to Isaacson's
biography, he ended up with 100 of them.
Apparently he kept them all neatly folded,
too, and one imagines he never had to sort
them.
After that, he simply climbed into those blue
jeans and New Balance sneakers, and his outfit
was forever set in stone.
It's quite possible that Jobs never needed
to buy shirts again, but after his death,
sales of black turtlenecks shot through the
roof.
However, any ol' black turtleneck isn't necessarily
a Steve Jobs turtleneck.
So in 2017, Miyake's company started retailing
a garment called "Semi-Dull T" that closely
imitated the Jobs sweater and sold for $270
a pop.
Though Jobs certainly gets his due for his
tech innovations, his influence on the fashion
of today's crop of entrepreneurs often goes
unmentioned.
If you think about it, he was the major figure
who made it okay for future tech titans to
leave their suits and ties in the closet.
He paved the way for people like Elon Musk
to wear leather jackets with Rick and Morty
shirts underneath, and for Mark Zuckerberg
to just throw on gray T-shirts every day.
And if you thought Jobs' sweaters were overpriced,
it's worth noting that those boring Zuck shirts
apparently retail for $300-$400 each.
For that price, they better have magical self-cleaning
properties.
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