If we say “Apple” most of you will respond with Pavlovian reflexes on iPhones, iPads, Macs and AirPods. Technology is the recognizable trait of the brand and has built an unrivaled fortune on it. Yet, it will seem incredible to you, there was a time when the apple logo was printed on products that have nothing to do with silicon and printed circuits. Back in 1986, Cupertino created an entire clothing line called “The Apple Collection”.
The collection was for men, women and even for children, and all the garments featured a conspicuous apple with the imprint of the teeth. Oversized sweatshirts, t-shirts, trousers, shorts, shirts and even belts and hats with visors. Apple had thought of everything, including toys and a surfboard that cost the beauty of $ 1,100. But the Apple Collection didn’t stop there. The aim was to accompany customers at any time of the day, from work to free time. And so here are the objects for the office, such as binders and post-its, but also items such as a plush mouse cover in the shape of a mouse. There are also brooches, necklaces, key rings, and even wine glasses and any type of backpack you can think of.
Probably someone will already be wondering: is it possible that Steve Jobs, the man in the black crewneck and New Balance on his feet, allowed such a mess? But this time the historic CEO has nothing to do with it: he was sensationally fired in 1985, one year before the launch of this capsule collection. It was a complicated moment for the company as there was a need to regain the trust of its customers by creating something different.
The collection at the time was a real flop. But at the same time it shows how Apple, even in its moment of maximum confusion, was always one step ahead. And let’s face it clearly, if the Apple Collection were to come out today, in the age of hype, we have no doubt that it would sell out in just a few minutes.
In the 2000s, Steve Jobs thought of creating a clothing line after he got to see Sony’s manufacturing facilities in Japan. He was very impressed by the uniform worn by the employees, and when he returned to Cupertino he proposed it to his employees. “I’m back with some uniform samples,” Steve Jobs later said in an interview. “And so I proposed to my employees: Wouldn’t it be great if we all wore these clothes? Damn, how many insults I took on stage. Everyone hated that idea”.
