The APPLE ICON STEVE JOBS was known for having an affinity for long-sleeved black turtlenecks. But what prompted him to make this now iconic sartorial choice? According to an excerpt from the forthcoming Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, the former CEO selected a personal uniform after employees panned the idea of a company-wide outfit.
According to the excerpt, first published on Gawker, Jobs took a trip to Japan in the 1980s where he visited Sony factories and noticed employees in uniforms. Sony chairman Akio Morita told Jobs uniforms, while originally given to employees because they didn’t have anything to wear after WWII, resulted in a bonding experience among workers. Jobs said he wanted the same type of bonding at Apple.
Jobs commissioned Japanese designer Issey Miyake to create black nylon vests for Apple employees. But the idea wasn’t well received.
“I came back with some samples and told everyone it would be great if we would all wear these vests,” Jobs said. “Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.”
However, Jobs developed a friendship with Miyake and continued to visit him over the years. Jobs decided he liked the idea of having a uniform for himself, “both because of its daily convenience (the rationale he claimed) and its ability to convey a signature style,” the excerpt reads.
“So I asked Issey to make me some of his black turtlenecks that I liked and he made me like a hundred of them,” Isaacson writes, noting that Jobs showed him a stack of these shirts in his closet. “That’s what I wear. I have enough to last me for the rest of my life.”
Throughout Jobs’ tenure as CEO of Apple, the black turtleneck he donned for each keynote became a legendary style choice. In fact, his passing reportedly caused a spike in sales of the shirt.
Isaacson’s book, the simply titled Steve Jobs, goes on sale on October 24. It was originally scheduled to be released on November 21, but the date was moved up in light of Jobs’ untimely death.